Daily Times

We are from a land whose minerals are important but not its people. We are from a land whose mountains are Pakistani but not its people. More importantly, we are from a land whose people perish in dozens to make it to the mainstream Pakistani media.

Do you know what land it is? It is Gilgit-Baltistan that Imran Khan symbolically identifies as the Switzerland of Pakistan. It is the land because of which Pakistan is considered the most attractive tourist destination in the world. It is the land that has the biggest mountain ranges in the world. It is the land that is the most beautiful blessing of God to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan but at the same time a gargantuan open prison for the people who inhabit this region because they are treated as people of lesser gods.

The treatment meted out to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan is worrisome not because this region has no political status but because this region is the most neglected one despite being the most important in terms of its strategic location. Nothing could expose this ignorance more than the corrosive transit system of GB, which is the worst one by Pakistani standards. Whether it is Mashaburm or Northern Area Transport Corporation (NATCO) or for that matter any other service, most of their buses smell of burning wires, which keep the passengers disturbed throughout the long journey of 18 hours from Gilgit to Islamabad. It is the mental trauma that all people of GB, especially students, who are studying at various universities across the country, suffer every time they travel on the killer KKH.

Whatever little the state was offering to the people of Gilgit Baltistan would no longer be available.

Just a few days back, at least 25 people perished in smoke as a result of a collision between a bus and a car over which the whole people of GB mourned and protested while making a demand from the government of Pakistan that at least give us a good transit system if not the political status. Driven by the extremity of frustration, the youth bulge of the region took to Twitter with a hashtag trend upgrade-bus-service where they have laid the entire blame of this incident on the state for it is not giving GB its due rights as a result of which the basic rights are missing.

The situation is getting tenuous as people are running out of patience. It is also indicative of the two weeks-long protests of people against the government that is hell-bent on removing the subsidy on wheat as an austerity measure. Whatever little the state was offering to the people of the region, would no longer be available.

Moreover, there is not a single hospital in GB that is state-of-the-art. There is neither an engineering university nor a medical university. There is one university that lacks both faculties, facilities and departments. Despite these problems, which are related to basic needs, the people of GB are calling themselves Pakistani and feel proud of their nationality. But it seems this pride is fading away with time owing to the compounding issues of the energy crisis. Given this cold weather of winter, the region is suffering 18 hours or more of load shedding every day.

To cut the long story short, the emotions in the region are running high as it is time for the state to put bandages on the wounds of the people of the GB who have made no demands when being annexed with Pakistan. People of such a degree of loyalty demand rewards, not the punishment of withdrawing the limited subsidies that the region is enjoying.

The writer is an academic from Gilgit-Baltistan. He can be reached at @shahzai96137922.