Islamabad police crack down on G-B activists protesting controversial lease agreement

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad police arrested a group of activists from Gilgit-Baltistan on Sunday outside the National Press Club, where they had gathered to protest a controversial lease agreement between the Gilgit-Baltistan government and a subsidiary of the Pakistan army.

The protesters were demonstrating against the government’s decision to lease 37 rest houses and forest sites to Green Pakistan Tourism Company for a meager sum of Rs0.8 million per month for 30 years.

The agreement has sparked outrage among the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, who say that their natural resources were being exploited by the Pakistan government and its institutions.

According to eyewitnesses, the police arrived at the press club with three prison vans and over 100 personnel, including plainclothes officers.

Also read: G-B govt leases out 37 rest houses, forest sites to army entity

The protesters were beaten and whisked away in prison vans. The police claimed that the protesters were arrested for violating Section 144, which prohibits gatherings and protests in the capital city without prior permission from the Islamabad deputy commissioner.

The lease agreement has been widely criticized by the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, who say that it is a clear example of Pakistan’s exploitation of their natural resources.

The agreement involves the leasing of 17 properties belonging to the G-B Forest Department and 20 properties belonging to the Communication and Works Department, covering an area of over 1 mile. The total rent for these properties is a mere Rs0.7 million per month.

The protesters demanded that the government cancel the lease agreement and protect the natural resources of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The arrest of activists sparked widespread condemnation and calls for action against the Islamabad police for the gratuitous arrest of activists belonging to G-B. They demanded that the arrested people should be released immediately.

AWP denounces Islamabad police for detaining G-B

Meanwhile, the Awami Workers Party (AWP) assailed the Islamabad police for detaining activists hailing from Gilgit-Baltistan for protesting against a lease agreement between the Gilgit-Baltistan government and a private tourism company.

The Islamabad police detained over a dozen political and social activists including Zeeshan Astori and Javed Dukhi of the Awami Workers Party who had assembled to protest a controversial lease agreement between the Gilgit-Baltistan administration and Green Tourism, a Pakistan army subsidiary.

According to the agreement 37 PTDC motels, rest houses and tourist sites have been leased out to the company for a paltry amount of Rs800,000 a month for 30 years.

AWP President Akhtar Hussain advocate, General Secretary Dr Bakhshal Thalho, AWP-GB Chairperson Baba Jan and JKAWP Chairperson Nisar Shah advocate in a joint statement condemned the capital police action.

“The action of the Islamabad police against peaceful protesters is not just deplorable but indicative of a long-standing pattern of oppression and exploitation by the Pakistani rulers. For 76 years, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan have been treated akin of colonised subjects, with their land and resources systematically seized by the security and other government organs”, they said.

The detention of activists exercising their fundamental right to protest is a violation of their civil liberties, the AWP leadership said.

Instead of upholding the principles of democracy and freedom of expression, the Islamabad police have chosen to resort to brute force and intimidation tactics reminiscent of authoritarian regimes, the statement said.

“The AWP considers the lease agreement between the Gilgit-Baltistan government and a newly formed company robbing the indigenous people of their rightful resources for a pittance,” the statement said.

The AWP leadership emphasised that the exploitation and humiliation of oppressed nations including, Kashmiris and the people of G-B must be stopped and those responsible for perpetrating such injustice must be held accountable.

“The AWP stands in solidarity with the people of Gilgit-Baltistan in their struggle against the exploitation and demands an immediate halt to the mistreatment of the residents and the unjust seizure of their land and resources,” it said.

The Pakistani authorities must recognise the inherent rights of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and work towards genuine autonomy and empowerment, rather than perpetuating colonial-era tactics of subjugation and exploitation.

The AWP also demanded the release of progressive poet Ahmed Farhad who has gone missing from Islamabad last week.