A report has brought to attention the unlawful activities that are occurring in the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan region. The Shia population is rapidly declining due to targeted genocides of minorities under the current regime in Pakistan, and the settling down of Punjabi elites and Army men in PoJK and Gilgit.
Moreover, Chinese workers and army men are settling down in these areas under the pretext of working for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Several Universal Periodic Reviews (UPRs) and two reports of OHCHR in 2018 and 2019 have underlined that religious and non-religious minorities have been barred from constitutional rights and are being persecuted by state and non-state actors in Pakistan.
The Pakistani army, with the help of ISI, are curbing dissent in PoJK and G-B. freedom of speech, and freedom of press, have taken a hit in the region as the authorities have clamped down on news outlets.
A report titled “Human Lives Matter: A Comparative Study and Analysis of Human Development and Human Rights in J&K and PoJK/G-B” by Law and Society Alliance compares the status of human development and human rights conditions in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), Gilgit-Baltistan(G-B).
In the field of health and education, the annual budget allocated is a multiple of PoJK budget by many times. J&K has one of the lowest Infant Mortality Rates, high employment opportunities, and numerous higher educational institutes.
In comparison, G-B with a low HDI value and literacy rate, along with a meagre number of education institutes and medical centres continues to remain underdeveloped.
Moreover, many of the regional languages spoken in PoJK and G-B population has been officially recognised by Pakistan, and the government has forcefully imposed Urdu in the region even though the language is spoken by a meagre population, mostly by Punjabi elites.
Comparatively, India has recognised three predominant Kashmiri languages - Kashmiri, Dogri, and Urdu under its Constitution.
However, the constitutional setups in PoJK and G-B have been fragile and volatile. First of all, PoJK and G-B don't find any mention in the Pakistan Constitution. PoJK has an ‘Interim Constitution’ which keeps changing based on the convenience of Pakistan and G-B does not have a Constitution at all. Pakistan is resorting to a dilly-dally approach to handle the difficult situation that emerged due to the 13th Amendment Act and the proposed 14th Amendment Act of PoJK.
The condition is more concerning in G-B as the Pakistani PM has vested all the powers of G-B Council in himself, controlling decision making in the region from Islamabad. Currently, under the pressure from the Supreme Court, the government is vacillating on its decision on how to bring the G-B Reforms Act 2019 and in which form.
Moreover, the report has found that the Indian government has invested millions of rupees for the protection of separatist leaders of J&K. Moreover, vernacular Kashmiri media appears to be thriving.
However, the abrogation of article 370 has extended numerous labour, minority, LGBT rights to the people of J&K. Following the abrogation, there has been a significant increase in the budget of J&K and the amount allocated by the Central Government for the region. Many investors have made promises to invest in the valley. Investments in sectors of power, roads, infrastructure, and trade and commerce are in the pipeline.
