Daily Times

The Gilgit-Baltistan Order-2018 is now a reality. It replaces the GB Empowerment and Self-Governance Order of 2009. In tangible terms, this means that the GB Assembly will be empowered to take political, administrative, financial and judicial decisions.

The move has been touted as providing the local population with rights on a par with the country’s four provinces. The only sticking point being that the people of GB do not want any sort of quasi-official status. The overwhelming majority seek nothing short of a fully-fledged province. In brief, it opposes integration with Kashmir; despite a UN Security Council resolution recognising GB as part of the disputed territory. The Centre, however, has never been willing to play ball on the self-determination front. To do so, it argues, will weaken its claim to the jewel in the crown.

Therefore, the GB Order-2018 is meant to represent a genuine compromise. Another way of looking at it might be to see it as according a certain legitimacy. To the federal government, that is. In other words, to offset Indian claims to the region. Particularly given how the latter’s renewed interest comes in the wake of CPEC. Indeed, last year both New Delhi and Washington raised objections to the Corridor on the grounds that it runs through ‘disputed’ territory.

Thus the fear is that the people of GB will have their dream of provincial sovereignty sacrificed for the promise of economic return. And that the price of this will be extremely high. Already there are concerns about the environmental fallout.

Much has been made of how the GB Order-2018 allows the local population to demand rights in any court in the country. The Centre might just find that the people of GB will make use of this to call for a separate province. Once and for all.  *

Published in Daily Times, May 24^th 2018.