Sardar Yaqub’s controversial statement irks people of Gilgit-Baltistan
Our Correspondent
Islamabad, January 11: A statement of the President of Azad Jammu Kashmir, Sardar Yaqub, in which he claimed that Gilgit-Baltistan is an integral part of Kashmir has been condemned across the Gilgit-Baltistan region, with the exception of the Jamat-e-Islami, which has a very small vote bank in the region.
He made the statement yesterday while meeting an 18-member delegation.
People from all districts and different parties have advised Sardar Yaqub to ‘study history of the region in detail before making fallacious remarks about the region more than thrice the size of Azad Kashmir, home to 2.5 million people’, according to statements and reactions covered in the region media.
MLA Raziuddin Rizvi has said that Sardar Yaqub’s remark is baseless and unfounded. He said that the president has tried to disfigure and distort the region’s history. He has also condemned the statement and demanded restoration of State-Subject Rule (SSR) in the region, “to control external influence”.
MQM has termed the statement of Sardar Yaqub to be a figment of imagination.
Muhammad Ibrahim, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, has also condemned the statement saying Gilgit-Baltistan has a unique history spread over thousands of years. He has said that the Kashmiri leaders are responsible for the 62 years long deprivation of the constitution-less Gilgit-Baltistan region.
The statement of Sardar Yaqub has, however, been appreciated by the Jamat-e-Islami, GB Chapter. Leaders of the JI have hailed the statement and demanded formation of a single unit consisting of GB and Kashmir.
Prominent Shia scholar, Agha Rahat, has condemned the statement. He has said that the Kashmiri leaders have never spoken for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan during the last six decades but they come up with fake claims to sabotage the empowerment process of the people.
Dr Sher Bahadur Anjum of the PMLN has said that irrelevant people are trying to claim ownership of Gilgit-Baltistan. He has said in a press statement that the culture, civilization and language of GB is different from Kashmir.
Rana Nazeem, provincial spokesman of PPP, has termed the statement to be an effort to divide the region’s people. He has said that the delegation that met the AJK President have undermined the mandate given by the people of Gilgit-Baltistan to their elected representatives.
PPP legislators, Advocate Amjad Hussain and Engineer Ismail have also rejected the statement of Sardar Yaqub.
The statement of Sardar Yaqub also remained a target of youth groups and activists on different social media forums. Vast majority of the youth have condemned the statement, terming it a falsehood. A commentator on Facebook said that the President of Azad Kashmir is trying to disprove the one year-long war of independence fought by the local people against the Kashmiri-Dogra rulers who had occupied the region with the help of British colonizers.
Other commentators rejected the claim calling it a political gimmick and demanding formal annexation of the region in Pakistan, as the country’s fifth province.
Nationalists also condemned the statement, terming it a pack of lies and a mockery of historical facts.
We condemn the statement by President AJK its totally nonsense to attack our freedom movement what our forefathers did against Kasmir and cuprit govt at the time. All parties who how ever ratify we suggest them to rethink …
We do not agree with the remarks of President AJK, we don’t want to be a part of Azad Jammu Kashmir.
Amazing statements vs. statement of Sardar Yaqub from different political parties of Gilgit Baltistan swanking in media that GB is not the part of Kashmir. Particularly those parties who think that geographical division is based on religious wing are baseless, because Islam does not allow the division and says “har mulke –mulk moast ki mulke Khudai moast”. For instance Shian Ali wing opposes the statement and the Sunni favor it just for the sack of their sectarian interest. But the Ismaillies are in purgatory, neither in favor nor against because of their unconsciousness of political interest.
A question raises that why MQM opposes the statement of Sardar Yaqub. If Gilgit Baltistan is not the part of Kashmir, does it make sense that the people from Gilgit Baltistan who are affiliated with MQM are part of migrated Indians in Karachi. Any how all of you should think and justify if Gilgit Baltistan is not the part of Kashmir then what is the real status of Gilgit Baltistan? Then why it is still disputed like Kashmir. I request from all religious and secular parties to justify the status of Gilgit Baltistan and make road map of its political future. Because of all these confrontation we lost our status and wait for nothing. Please decide and develop consensus. If not then don’t leave the people in vain imagination.
There is utterly no need of any new consensus as one already stands there that GB is not part of Kashmir any more after the British had left. No one can change the ancestral legacy, hierarchical thinking and genetic make-up of people of GB. They are different from the shameless ones of Kashmiris and so are our culture, identity, social setup and festivities. Mr. Mughanni has nastily tried to create a confusion by stating that Ismailies in neither in favor nor against the evil intentions of Kashmiri leadership but I want to inform him and the rest of readers that the entire region of Hunza is against the ill-structured merger of GB with Kashmir (if any). Who else knows better than the people of GB themselves about their history before the detrimental annexation of GB with Kashmiris in Maharajas dogma but the entire region knows that it took under the auspices of GB who ruled the subcontinent. Kashmiris hoodwink and always talk about this annexation as the only evidence which in fact is not an evidence enough to support the arguments of so called Kashmiris emanating with evil intentions. Is there any unanimously approved resolution or requested made by the people of GB or their representatives for segregation with Kashmiris in any respect. I challenge to the Kashimiris and their supporters. Cunning Kashimiris have been dreaming day and night to acquire the natural resources of GB for long but they will always fail and people of GB always look for Kashmiris with estrangement because they are well aware of the Kashmiris’ physical and mental state of inhumanity, insincerity and slothfulness. I would also request Pamir Times to be vigilant of the statements which are made in an attempt to distort facts. And finally a word of caution; “Decisions are not made on the basis of hearsays, they require the will of people” and Kashmiris will face a humiliation if tested as they always do.
In fact a big joke by Sardar G :).Those who visited him and consider GB as a part of kashmir have lost their credibility in the area…
Aapee tapsee too aapee thussee, Mr. President of 4000 sq km, you don’t know how people of Gilgit-Baltistan got independence. Sacrifice and sacrifice. Mr. President, there is no word like sacrifice in your dictionary.
ہم صدر آزاد کشمیر سے مطالبہ کرتے ہیں کہ گلگت بلتستان کے مطلق جو آپ نے بیان دیا ہے وہ واپس لے لیں . کیونکہ گلگت بلتستان ١٨٦٠ سے پہلے کبھی بھی کشمیر کا حصہ نہی رہا بلکہ الگ الگ خود مختار ریاستیں تھیں . ١٨٨٠ کے بعد غاصب انگریز نے زبردستی کشمیر کا حصہ بنایا تھا ١٩٤٧ میں ہمارے بزرگوں نے آزادی کی جنگ جاری رکھی اور آزادی حاصل کی پھر مملکت خدا داد پاکستان سے الحاق کیا .تو پھر کیسے گلگت بلتستان آزاد کشمیر کا حصہ ہوسکتا ہے ؟ بس ہمیں پاکستان کا پانچواں آئینی صوبہ چاہیے ہم پاکستانی ہیں اور پاکستانی رہینگے
As a Pakistani nation and muslims our great sympathies and good wishes are with Kashmiri muslims in their efforts of freedom. But it should be clear that we are not part of kasmir neither we want to affiliate with this region as it (Kashmir)is allready in turbulances and trouble.Our ancestors have got freedom and now we are the part & parcel of our beloved country Pakistan. It is different issue that so far we have not got constitutional rights in national assembly and senate. This would be my humble request with current Govt. ,leaders of all parties at national and GB level to define the constitutional status of GB, other wise you have no moral and legal right to collect billion of rupees from the GB.
Really alarming and challenging situation for current political leadership to what extent you have worked on it to declare constitutional position of GB.
Aurang Zeib! I’m a Kashmiri and my friendly advice to you would be to abstain from using provocative/insulting language for Kashmiris in general as this can force me to insult you in ways you haven’t even dreamt of. If you must vent your anger, direct it towards Sr. Yaqub (a PPP-installed puppet just like your Mehdi Shah), who is making these poorly-timed statements, and other corrupt politicians like him. The predominant majority of Kashmiris, actually, is indifferent regarding the future of GB and a sizeable number of us (myself included), have a rational opinion that this can only be decided by the people of GB themselves and none other. Hope this helps to dispel the misconception that all (or even most of) Kashmiris want the annexation of GB to Kashmir against the will of its people.
As an addendum to my last post, you better educate yourself about history (not to mention manners) before making tall claims and presenting the same as facts and try to actually comprehend the words you’ve quoted: “Decisions are not made on the basis of hearsays (sic), they require the will of people”.
Kashmiris are not Interested in Their Freedom so why the Hell they are making gilgit as part of Kashmir , it was Pashtuns forces of Nawabs of Dir , Swat and Ambh in Swabi/ Hairpur Area who conqured 100 % Kashmir and then our Qadiani / Punjabi FM Ch Zafarullah gave half of it back to India when he asked the pashtun forces who had possession of Kashmir from 9 Sept 1947 to jan 1949 to go back to Pakhutnkwa and leave Half of Occupied Kashmir to India and the Pakistan Army at that time was busy Shelling and bombing Khan of Qalat and his Elected members , so if the Army and Kashmiris were not Interested in Kashmirs Freedom then whey they are not letting People of Gilgit Freedom and they should leave the Gilgit- Baltistan People alone and be free and given choice of self Determination through a Province or making it a Settled area independent or Join it back with other khan Area of Pakhtunkhwa etc and let GB be like some Agency like FATA as this Assembly thing as an Eye wash .