Exiled leaders from PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan blame Pakistan for human rights violations

The leaders from Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan raised human rights issues at a side event in the United Nations during the 28th session of Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The event titled 'Human Rights in South Asia' was organized by the United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) and supported by other political parties and human rights organizations from PoK and Gilgit Baltistan.

The speakers criticized Pakistan for human rights violations, extra-judicial killings and allowing of external forces to exploit resources of PoK and Gilgit Baltistan.

Senge Hasan Sering of Gilgit Baltistan National Congress said, "There is a political body in Gilgit Baltistan which is called Gilgit Baltistan Legislative assembly unfortunately in the last five years we have seen that political institution does not have the right to legislate. It can pass resolutions and send it to Islamabad and Islamabad has the right to accept it or to reject it and all the resolutions passed in the last five years were rejected and not a single resolution was passed".

Senge said that Pakistan's response to local demand has been sedition charges, life imprisonments, torture and death.

He condemned the life imprisonment to 12 political activists in Gilgit Baltistan. On Sept. 26, 2014, 12 political activists of Gilgit-Baltistan were given life in prison under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

Prominent among them are Babajan, Hunzai and Iftikhan Hussain who were detained for allegedly instigating a demonstration in support of internally displaced people of the Hunza Valley.

"Freedom of expression is extremely important as when we come to UN we especially talk about. Freedom of expression in political activity is very important. Unfortunately in Giglt Baltistan lot of our political activists are facing sedition charges, more than 200 of them. 12 of them have been given life sentence. These people have been charged for sedition," Senge said.

"They were talking about the rights of the local people. Everything that is being said here with freedom but in GB they are putting their own life in their honour and in their own economic interest at stake. That is the bravery they show. The price they have paid is that they are facing life sentence in the jail. That is something the international community needs to support us," he added.

Dr. Shabir Choudhry of Kashmir National Party, London said "Gilgit Baltistan and so-called Azad Kashmir are not part of Pakistan and we have every right to express our opinion on that and protest against imperial policies of Islamabad".

He also questioned Pakistan on arresting and imprisoning nationalist leaders in Gilgit Baltistan and Balochistan.

Ghulan Hussain, President of Kashmir Freedom Movement from UK said that "We have a country where we have a Prime Minister, our own judiciary and our own elected assembly, but infect it's not a country. It is not recognized by its neighbor and very close friend, Pakistan".

"Over 65 years this is happening in Azad Kashmir, where the ministers are answerable to lent officers, the chief secretary is a Pakistani, the finance secretary and other officers are from Pakistan," he said.

He further said that there is no freedom of expression in Azad Kashmir.

The political leaders also said that indigenous people in GB have denied their basic rights and Pakistan has allowed China to exploit resources in Gilgit Baltistan.