The Pakistan-China border crossing commonly known as Khunjerab Pass. It is actually known as Khunzerav in local Wakhi language: khun means blood and zerav means stream. \u2014 Zulfiqar Ali Khan<\/em> <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBeing the gateway\u00a0of CPEC,\u00a0the only demand is\u00a0that\u00a0local\u00a0people\u00a0be\u00a0engaged and\u00a0satisfied, he said, adding: \u201cWe\u00a0see on TV that there are many\u00a0activities\u00a0going on in Punjab and near\u00a0Gwadar,\u00a0but\u00a0we\u00a0do\u00a0not\u00a0see anything on ground\u00a0in Gilgit-Baltistan.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAziz Ali Dad, a noted local\u00a0scholar\u00a0and\u00a0researcher,\u00a0highlighted\u00a0that CPEC has become a subject and source of regional politics in Pakistan.\u00a0\u201cWe need to understand CPEC in a broader context\u00a0of\u00a0BRI, but here everyone is looking at what each province can get out of it.\u00a0In Gilgit Baltistan,\u00a0we are\u00a0also\u00a0thinking of CPEC at district levels,\u201d he\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWe are actually trying to cage an elephant in a small room,\u201d he\u00a0added.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe residents of Gilgit-Baltistan\u00a0have a lot of expectations from this multi-billion project, but the region has a limited a role to play.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u201cGB\u2019s role is to provide the services of road and some other services probably in terms of security and\u00a0an\u00a0enabling environment for this,\u201d\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Kreutzmann\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHe said these areas are the bridge between two areas of interest. \u201cThe ends of the corridors are the important\u00a0areas\u00a0and the thoroughfare is the neglected\u00a0ones,\u201d he added.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHe said when it comes to establishing these kinds of thoroughfares then the road suddenly plays a major role and gets an own life in it. \u201cWhen the road project is initiated, one has to be very careful that everybody along the line is benefitting\u00a0and\u00a0getting\u00a0the same attention,\u201d\u00a0the German\u00a0professor\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMainstreaming Gilgit-Baltistan can only help the local people in influencing policies in Islamabad.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Capt. (rtd.) Mohammad\u00a0Shafi\u00a0Khan,\u00a0the\u00a0opposition leader in\u00a0the\u00a0Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly\u00a0(GBLA)\u00a0complains\u00a0of\u00a0being sidelined in the entire process\u00a0of CPEC\u2019s planning and implementation.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0 \u201cContrary to the official claims,\u00a0the locals feel excluded from the\u00a0decision-making process and\u00a0direct benefits of this mega project despite\u00a0being\u00a0the\u00a0entrance\u00a0of CPEC.\u00a0GBLA unanimously passed a resolution in August 2015 demanding to include G-B in CPEC consultative committee and set up economic zones in the region,\u201d\u00a0Khan\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe president of the Gilgit-Baltistan chapter of Pakistan\u00a0Peoples\u00a0Party Advocate Amjad Hussain has a different point\u00a0of view.\u00a0\u00a0He noted that mainstreaming Gilgit-Baltistan can only help the local people in influencing policies in Islamabad.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u201cDevelopment has never been our issue.\u00a0We\u00a0demand\u00a0to\u00a0address the basic issue\u00a0and that is\u00a0the political and constitutional\u00a0status\u00a0of Gilgit-Baltistan.\u00a0This is a prerequisite to safeguard Pakistan\u2019s interest in CPEC and other mega projects in the region,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAs a senior lawyer,\u00a0Advocate\u00a0Hussain\u00a0has also served as the\u00a0president of the Gilgit-Baltistan\u00a0Chief\u00a0Court Bar Association.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWe will not\u00a0\u2018beg for a share in CPEC\u2019, the government should\u00a0declare\u00a0\u2018GB as a provisional province,\u2019\u00a0he demanded.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nG<\/b>ilgit-Baltistan in<\/b>\u00a0Constitutional Limbo<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n The\u00a0consequences of the lingering political status of the region has been an issue of\u00a0serious concern\u00a0in Pakistan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe Human Rights Commission of Pakistan\u2019s fact-finding mission in its principal finding in August 2016\u00a0noted: \u201cThe people of Gilgit-Baltistan are nearly unanimous in seeking their territory\u2019s recognition as a part of Pakistan, by virtue of their accession to the state in November 1947 and allowed the status of a full unit of the federation.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe\u00a0mission\u00a0in its report titled\u00a0\u201cGilgit-Baltistan Aspiration for\u00a0Identity,\u00a0Integration and\u00a0Autonomy\u201d\u00a0recommended to extend all fundamental rights to Gilgit-Baltistan guaranteed in the constitution of Pakistan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe GBLA has also passed resolution multiple times demanding complete provincial status for Gilgit- Baltistan and representation in all national institutions.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe question of the constitutional status of the region has been held in limbo for nearly seven decades.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
These resolutions were\u00a0only\u00a0opposed by\u00a0Nawaz Khan\u00a0Naji,\u00a0who\u00a0demanded\u00a0internal autonomy for Gilgit-Baltistan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe nationalist leader\u00a0has a different stance as compared to\u00a0the leaders of the\u00a0mainstream\u00a0political parties.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cGilgit-Baltistan is part of the\u00a0\u2018Kashmir dispute\u2019\u00a0and principally\u00a0GB\u00a0should be accepted as a\u00a0\u2018political unit\u2019\u00a0and whatever dealings are made between China and Pakistan,\u00a0\u2018Gilgit-Baltistan should be onboard\u2019, and their will and stake should also to be included in every process,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWe do\u00a0not have any representation in national assembly, senate and in the federal government. Our\u00a0provincial assembly can only discuss construction of roads, schools, hospitals and such civic facilities. Even the assembly does not have the right to make decisions about the area,\u201d\u00a0Naji\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAccording to\u00a0opposition leader\u00a0Khan\u00a0the government\u00a0was\u00a0neglecting Gilgit-Baltistan\u00a0to avoid international pressure\u00a0owing\u00a0to\u00a0GB\u2019s link to the Kashmir dispute\u00a0in United Nation. \u201cWe consider Gilgit-Baltistan as\u00a0undisputed\u00a0part of Pakistan, so\u00a0we should get equal attention. If\u00a0the policy makers consider the region as out of constitutional ambit\u00a0then\u00a0people can demand to\u00a0include\u00a0the province as a\u00a0third party in all\u00a0dealings,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe year\u00a02018\u00a0witnessed a heated debate on the constitutional status of Gilgit-Baltistan due to media speculations regarding the findings of the\u00a0Sartaj Aziz committee.\u00a0This\u00a0committee was\u00a0mandated to put forward recommendations regarding the constitutional status of Gilgit-Baltistan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe Kashmiri leadership on both sides of the line of control put strong resistance against any move\u00a0to constitutionally integrate Gilgit-Baltistan as the fifth province\u00a0before the settlement of the Kashmir dispute.\u00a0AJK Legislative Assembly unanimously passed resolution\u00a0demanding all constitutional and economic rights to Gilgit-Baltistan without declaring it a formal province.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u201cThe question of the constitutional status of the region has been held in limbo for nearly seven decades,\u201d\u00a0noted\u00a0Dr. Ehsan Mehmood Khan in a research titled\u00a0\u201cConstitutional Status of Gilgit- Baltistan: An Issue of Human Security\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Khan\u00a0now holds an important position in Gilgit-Baltistan.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIf a provisional constitutional arrangement is adopted, a parallel already exists in the form of the Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement -1963,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0wrote.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe Article-6 of\u00a0the said\u00a0agreement points to its provisional nature and that the negotiations will reopen after the settlement of Kashmir issue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDr. Khan\u00a0stressed on the\u00a0leadership\u00a0to handle the Gilgit-Baltistan issue with a sense of urgency.\u00a0\u201cIt is also imperative in the wake of CPEC so that the region does not look like un-governed, less-governed or constitution-less,\u201d he\u00a0noted.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nChief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan\u00a0Hafiz Hafeez Ur Rehman\u00a0said the PML-N\u00a0government had\u00a0granted all the legislation powers and financial rights to GBLA\u00a0through\u00a0Gilgit-Baltistan Order-2018.\u00a0\u201cThere cannot be taxes without representation,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0said.\u00a0 When taxes were extended to Gilgit-Baltistan then\u00a0Mian\u00a0Nawaz Sharif exempted GB from all taxes for 5-year, he said.\u00a0Rehman\u00a0also holds\u00a0the\u00a0position of the\u00a0president of PML (N) in\u00a0Gilgit-Baltistan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0He\u00a0believes\u00a0these measures\u00a0were taken to address the long-standing deprivations\u00a0in Gilgit-Baltistan\u00a0and to improve local governance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNawaz Sharif\u2019s federal government\u00a0promulgated\u00a0Gilgit-Baltistan Order-2018\u00a0in May 2018 by\u00a0replacing the GB Empowerment and Self-Governance Order 2009,\u00a0introduced by\u00a0the then\u00a0PPP\u2019s government in Islamabad.\u00a0 The\u00a0Zardari-led government,\u00a0in\u00a01999,\u00a0had\u00a0renamed Northern Areas\u00a0of Pakistan\u00a0as\u00a0Gilgit Baltistan\u00a0and gave\u00a0a province-like status\u00a0to the region.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNon-implementation of\u00a0<\/b>Supreme\u00a0<\/b>Court\u2019s\u00a0<\/b>J<\/b>udgment<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n In contrary to the poplar demand in Gilgit Baltistan, as\u00a0noted in HRCP\u2019s fact finding mission,\u00a0the\u00a0January-1, 2019\u00a0decision of the supreme court\u00a0of Pakistan further\u00a0complicated the\u00a0political\u00a0issue by declaring\u00a0the whole\u00a0Gilgit-Baltistan as part of Jammu and Kashmir.\u00a0Historically, only some parts of Gilgit-Baltistan have remained under the direct control of the Maharaja of Kashmir after 1846.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
The Supreme Appellate Court\u00a0of\u00a0Gilgit-Baltistan\u00a0had set aside the Gilgit-Baltistan Order, 2018 on July 13, 2018 while\u00a0restoring\u00a0the\u00a02009\u00a0governance\u00a0order. This\u00a0was\u00a0then\u00a0challenged in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which\u00a0then\u00a0suspended the\u00a0order of\u00a0the\u00a0Appellate Court.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe Supreme Court of Pakistan in its\u00a0final\u00a0judgment,\u00a0announced on January 1,\u00a0ordered the government of Pakistan to grant the fundamental rights to the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan. The court order noted that: \u201cThere can be no prejudice to Pakistan\u2019s position on the plebiscite issue if the men, women and children living in GB are guaranteed basic human rights and a role in their own governance within a framework of a constitutional nature.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe court\u00a0noted\u00a0the proposed Gilgit-Baltistan Governance Reforms, 2019\u00a0\u2018shall be forthwith promulgated by the President on the advice of the Federal Government, and in any case within a fortnight hereof\u2019. They have been deprived of this choice for far too long and at far too great a cost, the order reads.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDespite a lapse of over 4-month this\u00a0direction\u00a0of the\u00a0Supreme Court\u00a0has\u00a0not\u00a0been\u00a0implemented.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
According to the\u00a0Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan the court order has caused more confusion in people\u2019s minds and further complicated the issue. He said the provincial and federal governments have mutually drafted a new reform package in order to come out of this political and constitutional stalemate.\u00a0 He said the federal government wants to pass this act through the\u00a0National\u00a0Assembly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWe have asked the federal government to approve it as an act from a joint session of GBLA and Gilgit-Baltistan Council,\u201d he said.\u00a0 This will give local ownership and will also address local deprivations and claims that decisions are imposed on us, he added.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWill CPEC\u00a0<\/b>B<\/b>enefit Gilgit-Baltistan?<\/b><\/h3>\n Most of\u00a0the development\u00a0activities\u00a0impact Gilgit-Baltistan,\u00a0directly or indirectly,\u00a0as there is no other land route\u00a0that\u00a0connects\u00a0the head\u00a0of this corridor with its\u00a0tale.\u00a0\u00a0The federal and provincial governments have been highlighting\u00a0different mega projects\u00a0for\u00a0Gilgit-Baltistan.\u00a0\u00a0These include\u00a0two hydropower projects,\u00a0Maqpoon\u00a0Das Economic Zone, and construction of\u00a0Ghizer-Chitral expressway\u00a0along with improvement of KKH. Construction of\u00a0a new dry port in\u00a0Havelian\u00a0has\u00a0also remained a major concern for the local people.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNawaz Sharif thought more about his\u00a0own constituency and focused more on\u00a0making\u00a0investments into\u00a0metros, circular railway and thermal\u00a0power\u00a0generation.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nSenior lawyer Advocate Hussain\u00a0believes\u00a0the federal\u00a0leadership\u00a0is\u00a0not willing to give any direct benefit to GB under\u00a0CPEC\u00a0because\u00a0of their\u00a0limited vision.\u00a0\u201cNawaz Sharif thought more about his\u00a0own constituency and focused more on\u00a0making\u00a0investments into\u00a0metros, circular railway and thermal\u00a0power\u00a0generation,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe focus, he said, should have been on\u00a0improving the\u00a0KKH\u00a0corridor,\u00a0providing trade infrastructure\u00a0and\u00a0utilizing\u00a0the unlimited clean\u00a0and cheap\u00a0hydropower potentials\u00a0in Gilgit-Baltistan,\u00a0instead of\u00a0constituency-level projects.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nCPEC is based on business principles and there is no charity or foreign aid but investment<\/span>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe\u00a0Director of\u00a0the Center for Research on CPEC\u00a0Saranjam\u00a0Baig\u00a0sees\u00a0different\u00a0reasons\u00a0for\u00a0Gilgit-Baltistan\u2019s exclusion from\u00a0CPEC\u00a0projects.\u00a0 \u201cCPEC is based on business principles and there is no charity or foreign aid but investment,\u201d he said, adding that\u00a0the investor sees where he can maximize his profit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIn Pakistan, under CPEC\u00a0over\u00a050%\u00a0of the total investment is in\u00a0the\u00a0energy sector.\u00a0Gilgit-Baltistan\u00a0is a very small market and even not connected through grids. The\u00a0investors cannot get a return of investing in a market like Gilgit-Baltistan,\u201d\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Baig\u00a0said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHe said\u00a0an\u00a0investor would never\u00a0risk\u00a0spending\u00a0in an area which is officially declared disputed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nKhunjerab Pass, located at 4,600 meters, is world\u2019s highest paved border crossing. This pass remains closed for four months -December-March- every year because of heavy snow. \u2014 Zulfiqar Ali Khan<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nChina<\/b>-Pakistan\u00a0<\/b>Trade Pattern\u00a0<\/b>and Prospects<\/b>\u00a0for\u00a0<\/b>CPEC\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n The official statistics reveal the scale of trade through the\u00a0Khunjerab\u00a0pass has been insignificant since the opening\u00a0of the KKH for\u00a0commercial traffic in 1986.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOnly 1.5%\u00a0of Pakistan\u2019s exports to China\u00a0is channelized through Gilgit-Baltistan.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nAccording to World Bank\u2019s document \u201cGilgit-Baltistan Economic Report\u201d the scale of existing trade through the Pakistan-China border at\u00a0Khunjerab\u00a0pass along the KKH corridor is very limited.\u00a0The document\u00a0reads that\u00a0only\u00a04%\u00a0(Rs 3.1 billion) of Chinese\u00a0imports to Pakistan came\u00a0through the GB corridor\u00a0during the fiscal year 2007-08.\u00a0Similarly,\u00a0only 1.5%\u00a0of Pakistan\u2019s exports to China\u00a0is channelized through Gilgit-Baltistan.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe\u00a0Global Times, a Chinese English language newspaper,\u00a0reported\u00a0on February 12, 2017\u00a0that\u00a098%\u00a0of trade between the two countries\u00a0was\u00a0by sea.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe chart shows trade deficit through Khunjerab corridor stands at Rs5,461.11 million in 2018.<\/em> <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThere were different factors that make it harder for the\u00a0Khunjerab\u00a0corridor to realize anticipated gains from the overall trade.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nTrade facilitation infrastructure is also not up to the mark and\u00a0non-tariff barriers have\u00a0further limited the trade volume.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u201cThe issue of limited trade is associated with the\u00a0high\u00a0cost and unreliability of transportation through KKH and small scale of economic activity in\u00a0Gilgit-Baltistan,\u201d said Zafar Iqbal, Chairman of the Silk Route Dry Port Trust, who has also served as the Managing Director of the Northern Areas Transport Corporation (NATCO).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIqbal said the trade facilitation infrastructure is also not up to the mark and\u00a0non-tariff barriers have\u00a0further limited the trade volume through this border. He said this was despite that\u00a0both governments were\u00a0facilitating\u00a0local\u00a0traders\u00a0through\u00a0border pass\u00a0for\u00a0China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cKKH is passing through a very difficult geographical terrain. Landslides and other natural and human interventions can easily disrupt this\u00a0route,\u201d\u00a0said opposition\u00a0leader\u00a0Khan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe\u00a0Khunjerab\u00a0pass also remains closed for almost four months\u00a0every year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe network of highways planned under CPEC. Source: CPEC Secretariat( www.cpec.gov.pk)<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nRehman\u00a0is of the view that\u00a0Khunjerab\u00a0corridor is not economical to import Chinese goods for domestic\u00a0consumption in Pakistan\u00a0because of the increasing exchange rates, expensive fright rates and many other factors.\u00a0\u00a0The Chief Minister\u00a0added that\u00a0all the goods for domestic use\u00a0were\u00a0transported via sea.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe primary purpose of CPEC route is accessing Middle East and other markets via Gwadar.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u201cThis need to be understood that the primary purpose of CPEC route is accessing Middle East and other markets via Gwadar,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0This route is about 10 days shorter\u00a0than\u00a0the sea to reach Middle East markets, he added.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAziz Ali Dad links the\u00a0trade\u00a0volume\u00a0through\u00a0Khunjerab\u00a0Pass\u00a0with\u00a0development of Xinjiang region as a new industrial hub.\u00a0\u201cChina is developing industrial zones in Xinjiang and those goods will be transported through this route,\u201d\u00a0he said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIn a\u00a0collaborative\u00a0study, the\u00a0researchers from\u00a0Beijing\u2019s\u00a0Jiaotong\u00a0University\u00a0and\u00a0Karakoram International University\u2019s\u00a0(KIU)\u00a0Center for Research on CPEC,\u00a0have established\u00a0that the\u00a0Khunjerab\u00a0corridor is short and less costly.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cChina\u00a0can\u00a0save about $71 billion dollars\u00a0through\u00a0Khunjerab\u00a0route\u00a0on its imports and exports in terms of shipping costs\u00a0from selected destination countries from Europe and the Middle East,\u201d the research calculated.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThis study\u00a0suggests a\u00a0large portion of trade\u00a0from western parts of China\u00a0will be shifted to\u00a0Khunjerab\u00a0Route\u00a0following the completion of\u00a0CPEC projects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0
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