Dr.Mazhar Naqvi
Gilgit –Baltistan, once
a part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir and often called as melting
pot of civilizations, is witnessing mass killings of pro Ahle-Bait people
without attracting world attention. Be it India ,Pakistan or for that matter
even USA, all have remained silent over the persecution of Imamis and gross violation of human rights in Gilgit
-Baltistan for the past three decades. The strange silence of Iran has further
aggravated situation for the devotees of Imam Hussain in the region that is
being used by China as a lynchpin to connect with Pakistan, Middle East and Africa.
The talibanization of the region that is larger than the Indian states of
Punjab and Haryana has not only damaged the social fabric but also poses threat
to very survival of natives who have been professing Imami and Sufi faiths for the past six centuries and also
boasts of some most picturesque Imambaras of the world. Gilgit- Baltistan was a
prominent center of azadari during the rule of Hindu Dogra Kings .The Maharaja
of Kashmir used to donate large sums for observance of Muharram ceremonies from
his coffer. The Hindu kings also patronized Imami institutions and Gilgit-Baltistan
was considered as a heaven before it was occupied by so called Pakistan Sponsored
armed tribal in 1948.
Things were not that difficult for Imamis of
Gilgit-Baltistan till the arrival of General Zia Ul Haque as ruler of Pakistan
literally sealed their fate. Under Zia Ul Haque, anti- Ahle bait forces raised
their ugly heads and surpassed Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphs in terms of barbaric
killings and persecution of Imamis. In May 1988, General Zia sent army of militants to attack followers of
Ahle-Bait living in villages on the
outskirts of Gilgit on May 17, 1988. The exact number of casualties has been since
then remained disputed. According to reliable and authentic sources ,150 to 400
people were killed in the raids carried out by anti- Imami armed militants while
hundreds of others were injured. The
Gilgit Chapter of International Human Rights Observer’s (IHRO) reported that
around 3,000 people were killed in Gilgit-Baltistan Province. On the loss of
lives and its impact, IHRO estimated that attackers left about 900 women widowed
and nearly 2,500 children orphaned. The raiders also did not spare followers of
Sufism for the simple reason that they too love progeny of Prophet Hazrat
Muhammad. Zia regime allowed the arrival of illegal settlers in Gilgit –Baltistan
who simply destroyed Imami and Sufism based social fabric to the extent that admirers
of Karbala martyrs are now in minority whereas once they were more than 70 per
cent of the total population. Despite the death of Zia in plane crash and arrival
of new regimes, the situation has by and large remained the same.
Like 1988,the year 2012
once again brought havoc for Imamis. It started on the ill- fated February 28
when masked attackers forced passengers aboard four buses out and shot 16 of them dead in Hurban area of kohistan. Again on the morning of April 10 Gilgit fell to the control of militants in spite of
the presence of law-enforcement
agencies. Despite blessed with ample natural resources, more than half of the
Gilgit- Baltistanis live below poverty line as its rulers fail to share
revenues from mineral extraction, water resource exploitation, tourism and
trade. Gilgit a picturesque city and once a hub of local and foreign tourists, now
presents the picture of a garrison town with deployment of a large number of
soldiers and sepoys from the Pakistan Army, Rangers, police and Gilgit-Scouts.
The region is today left at the mercy of sectarian activists and the
administration is no more than a silent spectator. Rather, it is reported to have been extending protection
to sectarian heads. The majority of natives is peace-loving and deployment of security
forces has failed to offer them a harmonious atmosphere.
People of
Gilgit-Baltistan are not only victim of ill- conceived Pakistani policy but
they have suffered also because of India’s lackluster attitude towards the
whole issue. Since 1948, India has been concentrating mainly on three regions namely
Jammu, Kashmir valley and Laddakh. It is ironical because technically Gilgit-
Baltistan is part of India and even Pakistan Supreme Court considers. People of
the region are not Pakistani nationals and whenever they approach Pakistani courts
for redressal of their grievances they are simply directed to approach India. On
the other hand, India never insists on the opening of Line of control (Loc) like
Wagha border. Had it been so, talibanis would have never been able to hurt
cultural, ethnic and religious links of the natives with their kith and kin in
Laddakh and Kashmir valley.
The recent eruption of
violence in Kashmir valley after the arrest of Massarat and subsequent
statement issued by Hafiz Saeed needs to be perceived as yet another attempt to
conceal the persecution of pro Ahle- Bait force in Gilgit –Baltistan. In fact, talibanis
who have been protecting people like Massarat and Hafiz Saeed are responsible
for genocide of Imamis in Gilgit- Baltistan. They are the ones who are allowing
Chinese influence to grow in the region at the cost of its natives, mostly following
Imami and Sufi doctrines. The stand of India over the recent disturbances and
statement of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is therefore just unfortunate. The
Home Minister while condemning the act of Masarrat apparently avoided sending
any harsh message across the border whereas he should have taken a firm stand
and talked about protecting the interest of all Kashmiris. This would have
surely offered solace to persecuted lot of Gilgit-Baltistanis, for they are as
much Kashmiri as that of Sri Nagar and Laddakh. Simply a statement from Indian Home
Minister would have attracted world attention towards Gilgit-Baltistan and
security forces deployed their would have woken up from their slumber to stop
persecution to avoid embarrassment at global level. It is high time for Narendra
Modi government to raise the issue or otherwise paradise like Gilgit-Baltistan will remain bloody in years to come.
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