By altering the status of Gilgit-Baltistan, the government of Pakistan is clearing the road for “gifting Ladakh to India”, the Islamic Students League chairman Shakeel Ahmad Bakshi said on Tuesday.
“Before the division of State of Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Leh-Kargil and Gurez were united province of the erstwhile State. First Gurez was separated from the province to turn Muslims of Ladakh into a minority on sectarian lines. Now, by altering the status of Gilgit-Baltistan, a road is being cleared to ‘gift’ Ladakh fully to India,” he said in a statement. “Altering the status of Gilgit-Baltistan, which is rich in culture and heritage and loaded with huge natural resources with vast tourism potential and famous for International Silk Route, amounts to depriving people of Jammu Kashmir of their political, cultural and economical rights,” Bakhshi said.
He said: “To fiddle with this status is like creating Ladakh Autonomous Hill Council which will ultimately lead to union territory status for Ladakh.”
“This ‘give and take policy’ seems to be the way for further division of the state. The situation seems like rulers of India and Pakistan, through backdoor and track-two diplomacy, have agreed on a conspiracy to divide erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir among themselves,” Bakshi said. “And, unfortunately the responsibility of starting this process has been given to the government of Pakistan for breaking the resolve and commitment of people of Jammu and Kashmir through a friendly government.”
“To annex Gilgi-Baltistan is a clear signal to the government of India to do same in the part of Kashmir occupied by it. The second step of this conspiracy would be granting complete provincial status to Azad Kashmir. And this way they have agreed to roll back freedom struggle of the people of Jammu Kashmir.”
greaterkashmir.com
