Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif insults PoK top leader Tanvir Ilyas during an official function which triggered a flood of Azadi slogans across Kashmir. No signs of development are visible in PoK as the region has never been treated at par with the other parts of Pakistan. The federal government has always neglected basic needs in PoK, which suffers from poor infrastructure and a lack of available resources and technology … writes Dr Sakariya Kareem
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif snubbing Tanvir Ilyas, the so-called Prime Minister of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), during an official function has once again proven that Islamabad treats PoK as its colony and its rulers as puppets.
A video which has gone viral on the internet shows the Pakistan Prime Minister not listening to Tanvir Ilyas and indulging in a verbal spat with him. “You sit down, we will talk later,” Sharif is seen telling Ilyas.
As Ilyas refuses to sit down, Sharif is seen losing his cool and continuing with his speech angrily.
The so-called PoK Prime Minister, according to media reports, wanted to raise the issues of his people but he was not allowed to speak as his assertions would have left the Pakistan Prime Minister embarrassed.
After being insulted by Sharif at an official function, Ilyas alleged that he was attacked by the guards of the Prime Minister. Ilyas facing humiliation in an official function triggered anti-Islamabad protests in many areas of PoK with protesters demanding Azadi from the tyrannical rule of Pakistan. They expressed their outrage at the ill-treatment meted out to them and their leaders since 1947 when the tribal raiders illegally occupied PoK.
The brutal exploitation of PoK natural resources by successive regimes in Islamabad has turned the region barren. The ruling class of PoK seems to have understood that there is no room for negotiation with Islamabad and that the only way forward is to seek freedom from Pakistan and its rulers.
To teach the so-called PoK, Prime Minister a lesson the federal government ordered sealing Centaurus Mall in Islamabad, which is owned by Ilyas. By doing so Islamabad sent a clear message to leaders and the denizens of PoK that anyone who dares to raise his voice will have to face the consequences.
For the past 70 years, residents of PoK have been suffering in silence as they are not allowed to raise their voices. The media is controlled by the government so human rights abuses by the armed forces and terrorists go unreported.
No signs of development are visible in PoK as the region has never been treated at par with the other parts of Pakistan. The federal government has always neglected basic needs in PoK, which suffers from poor infrastructure and a lack of available resources and technology.
Pakistan’s military establishment under a well-thought-out plan has kept the region underdeveloped and underprivileged. PoK during all these years has served as a breeding ground for terrorists.
The unemployment rate in PoK is high and the literacy rate is low. Rulers have not paid much attention towards developing any sector in the region. The PoK natives migrate to large cities in Pakistan in search of low-paying jobs at hotels, restaurants, and clothing stores as there are no avenues available for them in their native place.
They also suffer from poor governance, an absence of political legitimacy, and disenfranchisement. The federal government has focused on securing its political hold over the region and has neglected actual governance in the process.
Puppet governments
The local dispensations in PoK since 1947 have been nothing more than puppet governments having limited resources and governing authority. All the decisions vis-à-vis PoK is taken by the officials and officers sitting in Islamabad. Natives have no say in the policy decisions which touch their skins directly.
Earlier this year Islamabad slashed PoK’s development budget by Rs 5.2 billion, which led to severe financial system disbalance in the region. The arbitrary decisions taken by Islamabad have created a void between the people of PoK and Pakistani rulers.
Many PoK natives are of the opinion that the federal government harbours deep animosity towards the people of PoK and Gilgit Baltistan and is proving it by taking anti-people decisions due to which region is becoming poorer.
China Factor
Another factor that is haunting the people of PoK is China making inroads in the region and using it to fulfilling its expansionist designs. Debt-ridden Islamabad is allowing China to go ahead with its golden plan of forming a sea route through PoK. Chinese engineers and workers in PoK are plundering the natural resources of the region. Chinese are earning their livelihood in PoK. The debt-ridden Islamabad has no locus standi to tell Chinese companies to fix some quota for the locals in their projects.
Resentment is brewing against the federal government and the recent insult and humiliation of the so-called PoK Prime Minister has turned the situation more volatile in the region.
PoK looks towards J&K
PoK denizens are looking towards Jammu and Kashmir, which has witnessed unprecedented development after New Delhi on August 5, 2019, announced its decision to abrogate J&K’s special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories.
During the past three years, J&K has turned into the most visited tourist destination, and many roads and highways have been built. Train to Kashmir is not that far away and is expected to reach the Valley by 2024.
New Delhi after the abrogation of Article 370, a temporary provision in the Constitution, has embarked on the path of building a completely new Jammu and Kashmir. Electricity and water have reached every household in J&K. Employment avenues have been created and very importantly a sense of security has been created among the people.
Azadi voices in PoK
In recent months voices seeking Azadi from Pakistan have become shriller in PoK and the people are dropping enough hints to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to reclaim the region which has been under the illegal occupation of Pakistan for the past seven decades.
They also want to live comfortable and decent lives like their counterparts in J&K. They want to see what development means. Islamabad not treating PoK denizens at par with the other citizens of the country is ample proof of the fact that PoK people are second-grade citizens, who don’t enjoy the privileges and rights. Their leaders are just titular heads and have no powers, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif insulting Tanvir Ilyas and he being heckled by the guards of PM Sharif have shown the worth of PoK leaders.