Stakeholders Call for Inclusive, Transparent, and Dignified Disaster Response in Gilgit-Baltistan
GILGIT: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) office in Gilgit convened an outreach meeting to deliberate on safeguarding the rights of marginalized communities in disaster response across Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The meeting brought together government officials, NGOs, media persons, internally displaced persons (IDPs), lawyers, community representatives, activists, and civil society actors, who raised serious concerns about the glaring gaps in disaster preparedness and relief mechanisms in the region.
Participants highlighted the inadequate living conditions faced by IDPs and the lack of basic infrastructure and civic amenities, such as clean water, electricity, internet access, and proper roads, in affected areas. They also pointed to the severe disruption of education and healthcare services, which has left students and patients especially vulnerable. Stakeholders noted that marginalized groups—including women, children, daily-wage workers, persons with disabilities, transgender persons, elderly citizens, and patients—are often neglected in disaster planning and response. Mental health and psychosocial concerns were also flagged as an area that remains largely overlooked, while issues of transparency and accountability, including misreporting, duplication of relief efforts, and a lack of clarity over fund utilization, were described as deeply troubling.
To address these challenges, participants proposed a series of measures aimed at creating a more dignified and sustainable disaster response framework. They called for the establishment of a multi-sectoral coordination mechanism at the tehsil, district, and provincial levels, alongside the revival of the Disaster Reduction and Response Forum in GB. The meeting recommended conducting comprehensive assessments and surveys to enable evidence-based planning, and creating community coordination committees to ensure local participation in disaster response and monitoring. Physical and psychosocial rehabilitation programs for affected populations, timely compensation for losses, and restoration of critical infrastructure and civic services were also emphasized as urgent priorities.
Other key recommendations included media training to discourage sensationalism and ensure accurate reporting, as well as adopting a long-term, ten-year multi-sectoral planning approach for disaster resilience. Participants stressed the need to give focused attention to low-income households, daily-wage earners, children, women, transgender persons, elderly citizens, and students. They also urged early relocation of vulnerable populations living in high-risk zones, such as Mayoon village in Hunza, and demanded full transparency in the use of government and donor funds, including public disclosure of the Prime Minister’s announced Rs. 4 billion relief fund. Many also called for an increase in the current Rs. 3 lakh compensation for homeless families, which they deemed grossly inadequate.
The meeting further highlighted the importance of stopping deforestation, ensuring environmentally sustainable relief and rehabilitation, regulating mining activities to prevent further social and environmental vulnerabilities, and preventing the creation of dependency by promoting empowerment-based approaches rather than charity models. Stakeholders urged that donations and aid distribution be managed through community-led initiatives to prevent duplication and misuse, and that disaster-related policies be developed in consultation with local stakeholders to strengthen climate resilience and incorporate climate education into school curricula. Introducing climate insurance schemes and avoiding delays in rehabilitation efforts, especially with the harsh winter approaching, were also underscored as urgent measures.
Concluding the meeting, stakeholders adopted a unanimous resolution calling on the government and humanitarian actors to ensure that disaster response in Gilgit-Baltistan prioritizes dignity, empowerment, and sustainability. They stressed that relief and rehabilitation efforts must be rights-based, inclusive, and transparent, and that affected communities must be given an active role in decision-making processes.
