The authorities in Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan must immediately take notice of calls from the Awami Workers Party (AWP) that its central leader in the region is being denied permission to travel to Islamabad for medical check-up. Baba Jan has been incarcerated since 2011 over terrorism charges framed against him for exercising what in the rest of the country would be considered to be a citizen’s constitutional right – to protest. Recently, according to his party’s leadership, he has been complaining about severe bouts of chest pain and needs to be examined at a medical facility. The party suspects that he may be suffering from a heart disease. They say that the prison authorities are providing him with pain killers, instead of moving him to a medical facility where a comprehensive exam can be conducted. Baba Jan and his companions were picked up by law enforcers after they held a protest demonstration in August 2011 seeking fair compensation for those affected from a flood in the Hunza valley that led to the formation of the Attabad lake. Numerous protests have since been held and petitions written, including one signed among others by one of the greatest intellectuals alive today, Noam Chomsky, to demand Baba Jan’s release and an end to use of terrorism laws against political activists. However, these pleas have had no effect on the authorities in Islamabad. This is extremely condemnable given they don’t otherwise tire of presenting themselves as sincere with the people of the north-most region of the country. Baba Jan has even contested an election to the GB Legislative Assembly on the ticket of the left-wing AWP. Though he remained behind bars, a charged up campaign was led in the Hunza constituency by a team of youngsters who returned to the valley for the purpose from all over the country and abroad. Contesting the election against political heavyweights from mainstream parties, Baba Jan managed to secure the second highest number of votes. That was a clear sign of his popularity among the residents of the area. His campaign also saw a large number of women coming out of their homes and claiming public space, led by one of his sisters who has since been raising her voice for justice for the incarcerated political activist. On Monday, she was among a group of rights activists who staged a demonstration in the federal capital, demanding that the authorities in G-B grant permission to Baba Jan to travel to Islamabad for a complete medical examination. The authorities in Islamabad realise it very well that Baba Jan is a political prisoner who has been incarcerated for an act that cannot be considered a crime under any circumstances, let alone categorising it as an act of terrorism. Baba Jan’s imprisonment has contributed to the discontent among G-B youngsters, which is visible in their frequent protests in major cities across the country. The authorities should immediately make arrangements for the political activist’s medical examination, while giving a hearing to his party’s leadership regarding the case under which he has remained incarcerated, unjustly, since 2011. Published in Daily Times, February 6th 2019.