Fresh protests have been sparked in the Gilgit-Baltistan region after the Awami Action Committee (ACC) held a rally to deny allegations made by the Indian media that their shutter down strike against new taxes was an ‘anti-state move.’
Earlier, the ACC had been holding strikes against new taxes levied in the region. These strikes were apparently being portrayed as anti-state protests by the Indian media.
According to details, leaders of the ACC delivered a number of fiery speeches to a charged crowd in which they said that their organisation and their strike was nowhere near to what the Indian media was portraying it as. The protest was staged on the call of the ACC and was attended by leaders of political parties and members of the civil society.
The protesters said they were inflamed over reports that Gilgit-Baltistan was demanding independence from Pakistan. In reality, the ACC along with regional trade unions had simply been conducting a shutter down strike against the imposition of government taxes ordered from the centre.
As reported by Pakistan Today back in October, opposition parties including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Islami Tehreek Pakistan (ITP), Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have all joined hands with the GB’s main traders association to take on the GB government over taxation issues.
The protesters, bearing pro-army and anti-India posters, claimed that the people of Gilgit were completely loyal to the state of Pakistan and all of them were willing to lay their life for the country’s sake. They said that this region had been honoured with the Nishan e Haider through Havildar Lalikl Jan and would not let his sacrifice ever be in vain.
They said the struggle of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan were to integrate the region fully with Pakistan as a constitutional entity. They blamed India for increasing the problems of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan by creating unnecessary controversies. They regarded these fabricated stories as reflection of the journalistic ethics in India.
In the past, India has also portraying election rallies, protests against terror attacks, protest demanding compensations and even protests of visually impaired persons as separatist uprising against Pakistan.
It’s time we support people of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur while we develop Baltistan !
We peoples from GB Should stand with awami action committee against all illegal taxes who imposed by Federal Govt until we are not really Pakistani.pakistan should give us the right to be citizen of Pakistan without any hesitate. No worry what the United nation saying.
For India no worry about GB we are with Pakistan and Pakistan is our Dil.
Comments are closed.