The so called POK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) is a misnomer as 80 percent of the territory occupied by pakistan either belongs to Ladakh UT or Jammu province. We have always advocated the use of the term POJK (Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir). The failure of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on issues of Pak Occupied Jammu Kashmir in last seven years is not bigger than faulty administrative policy of 70 years and local leadership of Jammu and Kashmir. The Northern Areas of Pakistan Occupied Jammu Kashmir is fully owned property of India. But sometimes PM and PMO ignored in pleasure, sometimes due to political compulsions and other times due to , it is under encroachment of Pakistan Army and the rogue nation has brought a new illegal stakeholder to make it messy.
The Five Districts of the Northern Areas in Pakistan Occupied Jammu Kashmir (POJK) – This is India.
On the other side, for better understanding the Northern Areas in Pakistan Occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) have been split into five districts: Gilgit, Baltistan, Diamir, Ghizer and Ghanche. A population of 1.5 million inhabits a vast area of 72,495 square kilometers.
Thinly populated as the area is, the ethnic groups are varied – Baltees, Vashkuns, Mughals, Kashmiris, Pathans, Ladakhis and Turks, speaking a multiplicity of languages, including Balti, Shina, Brushaski, Khawer, Wakhi, Turki, Tibeti, Pushto and Urdu. Yes, Turki origin people are also inhabitant on POJK, that leads the Turkey President to speak on Kashmir.
Let us know the demography for better understanding, the sect-wise breakdown of population in the Northern Areas is: Gilgit – 60% Shia, 40% Sunni; Hunza –100% Ismaili; Nagar – 100% Shia; Punial – 100% Ismaili; Yasin – 100% Ismaili; Ishkoman –100% Ismaili; Gupis – 100% Ismaili; Chilas – 100% Sunni; Darel/Tangir – 100% Sunni; Astor – 90%Sunni, 10% Shia; Baltistan – 98% Shia, 2% Sunni. A complex set of people, but I must remind you, 635 years ago, it was Hindu Population. Non of them are original inhabitant of POJK.
It is to know that the Northern Areas are the only region in Pakistan whose status is not specified in the Constitution of Pakistan. While Kashmir is mentioned as a disputed territory, the Northern Areas find no mention in the relevant schedule, nor do they have an autonomous or constitutional status of their own. It means, it is illegally occupied.
Hence, the people of the Northern Areas are, therefore, not citizens of Pakistan within the meaning of the Constitution and do not have the benefit of any fundamental, legal, political or civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan. Then who are they – they are legitimate Indians. And where is India Government for them? We ignored them like orphans since 1947, and hence the result is we have invested military expenditure more than the area and population in that area.
It is closed area. It fully closed for everything. The section of this land occupied by Pakistan is also out of bounds to foreigners and journalists, except for occasional tightly controlled guided tours selectively organised by the Army or the intelligence agencies of Pakistan. This is the worst political and military failure since 1947 by any Indian Prime Minister.
The Northern Areas have thus been under virtual Martial Law for over five decades. Under the existing Frontier Crime Regulations (FCR), framed during the colonial era, every resident of the region has to report regularly to local intelligence personnel and all movements from one village to another have to be reported to the authorities.
In the repercussion of partition, these areas were declared to be part of the disputed territory of Jammu & Kashmir State so that whenever a plebiscite was held, their votes would go in favour of Pakistan. But nothing happened till date. Both side fear, plebiscite may go either side. But, Indian stand is clear, clarity remains dull when not executed with military to invade and merge in India.
When India lost 1962 war, Pakistan started its first move to give a setback. The question arises was the then India Government and then Politicians and beauocracy cheated with India by neglecting issues of Jammu and Kashmir and POK, military should have been used. In 1963, Pakistan unilaterally ceded a sizeable chunk of Gilgit and Baltistan to China, which has long had territorial claims in the area. Under the so-called Sino-Pakistan ‘boundary agreement’ of 1963, Pakistan illegally ceded 5,180 sq km of Territory to China in Aksaichin in order to facilitate China to build the Karakorum Highway providing overland link between Beijing and Karachi. This is hijack.
This highway passes through Kashmir territory and has been constructed illegally without the permission of India. This includes a portion of Hunza territory of the erstwhile Gilgit Agency of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. And Prime Minister Modi didn’t say anything during his 18 meetings with Dictator Xi Xinping of China. This is worst than past PMs ignorance.
Over the years, especially after the Shimla Agreement in 1972, successive Pakistani Governments have sought to amalgamate these areas into Pakistan by declaring them “federally administered territories”. The PoJK Governments, on the other hand, have been arguing ever since 1950 that Gilgit and Baltistan were a part of Kashmir and should thus be incorporated into ‘POJK’. And worst failure of Indira Gandhi Govt was not bargaining during Bangladesh liberation and pak army surrender to evacuate POJK.
On being petitioned on the status of the Northern Areas, the ‘pakistan occupied kashmir’ High Court passed a verdict in March 1993 criticizing the unrepresentative and arbitrary administrative system and denial of fundamental rights in the Northern Areas. It directed the ‘Occupied Kashmir’ Government to immediately assume administrative charge of the region and asked the Government of Pakistan to assist the ‘Occupied Kashmir’ government in this task. The Pakistan Government appealed in the Supreme Court, which, in a judgment passed on September 14, 1994, stated that ” the Northern Areas are part of Jammu & Kashmir state but are not part of “Occupied Kashmir” as defined in the “Occupied Kashmir” Interim Constitution Act, 1974″.
The powerful thing of Indian Administration was until 1994, the people of the Northern Areas had no elected assembly, or even a municipal council, and no representation in the Federal National Assembly. In October 1994, the Federal Government allowed the political parties of Pakistan, but not of ‘Occupied Kashmir’, to extend their activities to the Northern Areas.
But this was failure of Indian Beurocracy of that time – they tuned in election, which is not relevant fo India but creted a propognda gun for Pakistan . The first party-based elections to a 26-member council called the Northern Areas Executive Council, were held in October 1994, and it was announced on March 31, 1995, that its members would have the same status, emoluments and privileges as the members of the North West Frontier Province Legislative Assembly.
See what happened, but the council had no legislative authority, only advisory powers. The real power continued to be vested in the Ministry of Kashmir and Northern Areas Affairs headed by a Joint Secretary to the Government of Pakistan based in Islamabad, which exercised supreme control in all matters. Pakistanis man the civil, police and security services. There is no right of appeal against the judgments of the judicial commissioner.
Following a verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in March 1999 recommending the extension of legislative, financial and administrative powers as well as an independent judiciary with writ jurisdiction, the first Northern Areas Legislative Council was elected in 2000.
Under the new legal framework order, it was granted powers to legislate on local matters and impose local taxes. But the superstructure of the Northern Areas administration was left unchanged so that Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs continues to be its chief executive.
When the rest of Pakistan voted for a new civilian government in October 2002 elections, the Northern Areas remained outside the political process.
The Pakistani administration has also been involved in efforts to alter the demographic profile of the region, reducing the indigenous people to a minority. In the Gilgit and Skardu areas, large tracts of land have been allotted to non-locals, violating the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) resolutions and the J & K State Subject Rule.
Other outsiders have purchased substantial stretches of land since they are, by and large, economically better off than the locals. As of January 2001, the old population ratio of 1:4 (non-locals to locals) in these areas had been transformed to 3:4. The rapid induction of Punjabi and Pakhtoon outsiders has created a sense of acute insecurity among the locals. The region is also deprived in terms of education and infrastructure, and there is only a negligible presence of daily newspapers, radio or TV stations.
Conclusion: The war is unavoidable to calm down aggressive China masquaranding in indian territory illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947. China is trying to protect its investments in the terror factory of the world, pakistan but looking at its legality the clampdown of 53 Billion Dollars Investment can’t be ruled out. Government of India beating chest but not beating Pakistan since independence. This we have done when Mughal came to India, we were beating drums in temple not beating Mughals. We are still finding “HERO” in Prime Ministers of India and they said they were heros, but they were all scamsters, excluding few names. Indians love “magic’ they don’t like “logic”, hence they were suppressed, depressed and divided. I hope the stability and justice is done to this most picturesque , serene place on earth which has immense tourist potential but i hijacked by the world powers for their vested interests.
