Gilgit-Baltistan

From Indpaedia
(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
 
(5 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 9: Line 9:
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
[[Category:Pakistan |G ]]
+
[[Category:India |G ]]
 
[[Category:Places |G ]]
 
[[Category:Places |G ]]
−
[[Category:Sports |P ]]
 
 
[[Category:Jammu & Kashmir |G ]]
 
[[Category:Jammu & Kashmir |G ]]
 
   
 
   
−
=Gilgit-Baltistan: Polo=
+
=Constitutional status=
 +
[[File: Map of India, average rainfall 1921-31 .jpg| Was Gilgit- Baltistan part of Jammu & Kashmir in August 1947? Pakistan has tried to create the fiction that it was not. <br/> Thousands of pre- 1947 maps of India, lying in the archives of Pakistan, Gilgit- Baltistan and neutral online archives say otherwise. <br/> This, for instance,  is a map of India, showing the average rainfall in India 1921-31. It has been taken from the opening pages of the [https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=10&ved=0ahUKEwjl6e7_i6nbAhUKrY8KHRfDAh4QFgiIATAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdspace.gipe.ac.in%2Fxmlui%2Fbitstream%2Fhandle%2F10973%2F19000%2FGIPE-016956-Contents.pdf%3Fsequence%3D2%26isAllowed%3Dy&usg=AOvVaw3lzR7QI6o0DmF8aA27oimj    ''Census of India, 1931,'' Vol. I INDIA Part 1-Report] |frame|500px]]
 +
See graphic, '...Map of India, showing the average rainfall in India, 1921-31. It has been taken from the opening pages of the ''Census of India, 1931,'' Vol. I INDIA Part 1-Report'
 +
==British view: Gilgit-Baltistan part of J&K==
 +
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/gilgit-baltistan-part-of-jk-pakistan-in-illegal-occupation-resolution-in-british-parliament/articleshow/57846246.cms  Gilgit-Baltistan part of J&K, Pakistan in illegal occupation: Motion tabled in British Parliament, Mar 27, 2017: The Times of India]
  
  
−
The king of games
+
'''HIGHLIGHTS'''
  
−
By Manzoor Ali Shah
+
Resolution passed in British Parliament said Gilgit-Baltistan a legal and constitutional part of J&K
  
−
[http://dawn.com/ Dawn]
+
House condemns Islamabad's announcement declaring Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province
  
−
[[File:Northern areas, Polo.png| Northern areas, Polo |frame|500px]]
+
People in the region 'are denied their fundamental rights,' resolution says
  
−
The game of polo has been played for a long time in the world, but in Pakistan it sometimes assumes mythical importance
+
LONDON: A motion was tabled in the British Parliament condemning Islamabad's announcement+ declaring Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth frontier+ , saying the region is a legal and constitutional part of Jammu & Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947.
  
−
Pakistan’s northern areas are famous for their natural beauty. They have awe-inspiring mountains, serene lakes, roaring rivers and gigantic glaciers. But the game of polo attracts many a visitor to the region for reasons other than watching nature’s munificence.
+
The motion which was tabled on March 23 and sponsored by Conservative Party leader Bob Blackman, stated that Pakistan, by making such an announcement, is implying its attempt to annex the already disputed area.
 +
"Gilgit-Baltistan is a legal and constitutional part of the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India, which is illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947, and where people are denied their fundamental rights including the right of freedom of expression," the motion read.
  
−
Polo is one of the oldest games played in the world. And the northern areas are known for the kind of polo played here. Every year, in the second week of July, polo teams from Chitral and Gilgit face each other in Shandur — the world’s highest polo ground. This event dates back to old colonial times when in the ‘30s a British political agent, Maj Evelyn Cobb, who was fond of playing the game in the moonlit Shandur, initiated polo matches in the area.
+
It was further noted that the attempts to change the demography of the region was in violation of State Subject Ordinance and the 'forced and illegal construction' of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor+ (CPEC) further aggravated and interfered with the disputed territory .
 +
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign affairs ministry has said that Beijing was ready to work with Islamabad to take forward the CPEC to benefit the people of both countries.
  
−
The Shandur pass is situated about 3,738 metres above sea level and lies between Gilgit and Chitral. It is 147kms away from Chitral and 211kms from Gilgit. In the winter, it remains frozen due to the heavy snowfall that engulfs everything beneath its white blanket. At the end of the spring season, this area — a plateau among the Hidukush Mountains — becomes a lush green land. And the greenery with galloping horses, the zealous spectators and the tent city in the high Hidukush underneath the open skies in the background of the Shandur Lake, present a magical view.
+
The economic corridor is a $51.5 billion project that aims to connect Kashgar, in China's western province of Xinjiang, with the port of Gwadar+ in the Pakistani province of Balochistan.
  
−
As Shandur has a mythical importance in Chitrali folklore, it is said that it is the abode of the fairies (Shhawanan), and at night these fairies come down to the lake and splash its water.
+
=Pakistani attempts to merge Gilgit-Baltistan as a province=
 +
==The reasons why==
 +
[[File: Gilgit-Baltistan, some facts.jpg|Gilgit-Baltistan, some facts; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=18_03_2017_030_006_002&type=P&artUrl=WHY-THE-PAK-PUSH-TO-MAKE-GILGIT-A-18032017030006&eid=31808 The Times of India], March 18, 2017|frame|500px]]
 +
See 'Why Pakistani wants to merge Gilgit-Baltistan as a province'
  
−
Nowadays, open air cultural festivities, including dance shows and concerts, are held here during nighttime as part of polo matches in which maestros from Gilgit and Chitral enthral the audiences with their performances. And during daytime, polo matches catch the public’s attention.
+
=The Government of Gilgit-Baltisan order 2009=
 +
[https://www.dawn.com/news/701210  May 8, 2012 ''Dawn'']
  
−
An international polo match is divided into six chukkers (circles), each is seven-and-a-half-minute long. And an umpire, riding a horse, monitors the game. Usually, one team consists of three or four players. The polo played in the northern areas is different in many respects from international polo. Here, the game is divided into two stints of 25 minutes each with a break of 10 minutes between them. Unlike international polo, one cannot change one’s horse — only if the horse receives serious injuries. Rules are few and there is no referee or umpire. The only official is a time-keeper. There are 12 players, six from each team. A player can hit his opponent with his mallet, give him a push, and run over his opponent’s horse. And the 12 players pursue the ball in such a frantic manner that it leaves spectators in awe. Generally, a swollen face, a bandaged head or a limping horse shows that the match was interesting enough.
 
  
−
Polo originated in Persia in 500BC. Polo is basically a Balti word, meaning ball. In Persian it is known as “Chowgan”. Initially, polo was played as part of the training of imperial cavalry guards. From Persia, polo spread into far-flung lands like China, Japan, Egypt, and Byzantine and became a royal pastime. Even in the subcontinent, it is said that Sultan Qatubudin Abik died after falling off a pony while he was playing polo. In China, the death of a court favourite during a polo match in 910 made the king order the beheading of all players. In the 13th century. polo was in vogue in Central Asia after being introduced there by Muslim conquerors. From Central Asia, perhaps, it made inroads into the northern areas of Pakistan.
+
THE federation of Pakistan comprises four provinces and four non-provincial units, namely Fata, Northern Areas, which is now Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Islamabad Capital Territory. The people of Gilgit-Baltistan have been living in a constitutional vacuum for over 64 years. They are neither given representation in the parliament nor a constitutional mandate to the local assembly.
  
−
Chitral, Gilgit, and the northern areas are the places where polo is played in its age-old style. How much the people of these region love this game can be judged from the fact that in the northern areas in the heart of each village and locality we find a polo ground. It is obviously a sacrifice keeping in view the scarcity of land. As in the case of Chitral, 70 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line and earns less than Rs5,000 a month. Their lavish spending on polo shows that these poor people consider this game something mythical.
+
In August 2009, an ad hoc ordinance was introduced by the government of Pakistan called Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-governance Order. The Pakistan People’s Party called it a democratic change in Gilgit-Baltistan. I accept that names have been changed: executive to governor and deputy executive to chief minister, Northern Areas to Gilgit-Baltistan. We can’t complain much about that. There is no doubt that ministers have been increased but the budget is the same.
  
−
When a polo match starts, local musicians play traditional tunes. When a goal is scored, the player who has scored it gallops towards the centre line holding the ball in his right hand, and on reaching the centre line tosses the ball into the air and hits it with his mallet while in the background musicians play a special tune for him. This is called Thompq in Chitral.
+
It was a matter of celebration for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan that they are going to have their own governor and chief minister, and that Gilgit-Baltistan has been given the status of so-called province. But, in fact, nothing has been changed at grassroots level. There is no status of a province, no representation either in parliament.
  
−
=Constitutional status=
+
We are neither given any administrative setup like Azad Jammu and Kashmir nor facilities which other provinces enjoy.
−
==British view: Gilgit-Baltistan part of J&K==
+
−
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/gilgit-baltistan-part-of-jk-pakistan-in-illegal-occupation-resolution-in-british-parliament/articleshow/57846246.cms  Gilgit-Baltistan part of J&K, Pakistan in illegal occupation: Motion tabled in British Parliament, Mar 27, 2017: The Times of India]
+
  
 +
This arrangement, on the other hand, increases the confusion of the local people in order to explain the future status of the area and raises numerous questions. Will a citizen of Gilgit-Baltistan be able to be a chief justice in courts of Pakistan including the Supreme Court? Will a citizen of Gilgit-Baltistan be able to be a general in the Pakistan army? Will it be written in syllabus that Pakistan has five provinces?
  
−
'''HIGHLIGHTS'''
+
Three years have passed while the area did not get part in the NFC award, separate quota in competitive examinations and seats in various universities of Pakistan.
  
−
Resolution passed in British Parliament said Gilgit-Baltistan a legal and constitutional part of J&K
+
Since 1947 the constitutional and administrative status and fundamental human and political rights of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan have been discussed between governments of Pakistan and India. The constitutions of 1956, 1962 and 1973 of Pakistan do not recognise Gilgit-Baltistan as part of Pakistan.
  
−
House condemns Islamabad's announcement declaring Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province
+
It is clearly explained that Gilgit-Baltistan is not part of Pakistan in term of Article 1 of the Constitution of Pakistan which spells out territorial limits of the country. But democratic and military dictators introduced various governance reforms in the area under different names in order to align it with the emerging economics and political needs of the country.
  
−
People in the region 'are denied their fundamental rights,' resolution says
+
Now, it is indeed required to clear the ambiguity over Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan must change the bureaucratic government in Gilgit-Baltistan and empower the legislative assembly, strengthening its institutional capacity to work for the people rather than for bureaucrats and politicians.
  
−
LONDON: A motion was tabled in the British Parliament condemning Islamabad's announcement+ declaring Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth frontier+ , saying the region is a legal and constitutional part of Jammu & Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947.
+
===2014/ Amendment- The Government of Gilgit-Baltisan order 2009 ===
 +
[https://nation.com.pk/10-Dec-2014/gb-self-governance-order-2009-amended  December 10, 2009: ''The Nation'']
  
−
The motion which was tabled on March 23 and sponsored by Conservative Party leader Bob Blackman, stated that Pakistan, by making such an announcement, is implying its attempt to annex the already disputed area.
 
−
"Gilgit-Baltistan is a legal and constitutional part of the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India, which is illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947, and where people are denied their fundamental rights including the right of freedom of expression," the motion read.
 
  
−
It was further noted that the attempts to change the demography of the region was in violation of State Subject Ordinance and the 'forced and illegal construction' of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor+ (CPEC) further aggravated and interfered with the disputed territory .
+
President Mamnoon Hussain, on the advice of the Prime Minister, has approved the proposed amendments in Gilgit-Baltistan (Empowerment and Self-Governance) Order, 2009.
−
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign affairs ministry has said that Beijing was ready to work with Islamabad to take forward the CPEC to benefit the people of both countries.
+
  
−
The economic corridor is a $51.5 billion project that aims to connect Kashgar, in China's western province of Xinjiang, with the port of Gwadar+ in the Pakistani province of Balochistan.
+
The summary for the proposed amendments was initiated by the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan.
 +
 
 +
Following is the text of the Order, "S.R.O--- (1)/2014- In exercise of the power conferred by Article 93 of the Gilgit-Baltistan (Empowerment and Self-Governance) Order, 2009, the Government of Pakistan is pleased to direct that the following amendments shall be made in the aforesaid order, namely:-In the aforesaid order,
 +
 
 +
a)    in Article 33, for clause(10), the following shall be substituted, namely:-
 +
 
 +
"(10) an elected member shall hold office for a term of five years from the day he enters upon his office";
 +
 
 +
b)    In Article 35, after clause (4), the following new clause shall be inserted namely;-
 +
 
 +
"(5) on dissolution of Assembly on completion of its term, or in case it is dissolved under Article 41, the Chairman of the council shall appoint a caretaker Cabinet:
 +
 
 +
Provided that the caretaker Chief Minister shall be selected by the Chairman of the Council in consultation with the Chief Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly and the Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan;
 +
 
 +
Provided further that the Members of the Caretaker Cabinet shall be appointed on the advice of the caretaker Chief Minister:
 +
 
 +
Provided also that if the Chief Minister, the leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly and Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan do not agree on any person to be appointed as care-taker Chief Minister, the Chairman of the Council may appoint, in his discretion, a care-taker Chief Minister," and
 +
 
 +
(c)    In Article 41, after clause (2), the following new clause shall be inserted, namely:-
 +
 
 +
"(3) Notwithstanding anything in the Order, if at any time it is not possible for any reason to hold general election to the Assembly, the Government of Pakistan may postpone the election for a period not exceeding ninety days at a time."

Latest revision as of 20:50, 9 June 2018

This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.
You can help by converting these articles into an encyclopaedia-style entry,
deleting portions of the kind normally not used in encyclopaedia entries.
Please also fill in missing details; put categories, headings and sub-headings;
and combine this with other articles on exactly the same subject.

Readers will be able to edit existing articles and post new articles directly
on their online archival encyclopædia only after its formal launch.

See examples and a tutorial.

Contents

[edit] Constitutional status

Was Gilgit- Baltistan part of Jammu & Kashmir in August 1947? Pakistan has tried to create the fiction that it was not.
Thousands of pre- 1947 maps of India, lying in the archives of Pakistan, Gilgit- Baltistan and neutral online archives say otherwise.
This, for instance, is a map of India, showing the average rainfall in India 1921-31. It has been taken from the opening pages of the Census of India, 1931, Vol. I INDIA Part 1-Report

See graphic, '...Map of India, showing the average rainfall in India, 1921-31. It has been taken from the opening pages of the Census of India, 1931, Vol. I INDIA Part 1-Report'

[edit] British view: Gilgit-Baltistan part of J&K

Gilgit-Baltistan part of J&K, Pakistan in illegal occupation: Motion tabled in British Parliament, Mar 27, 2017: The Times of India


HIGHLIGHTS

Resolution passed in British Parliament said Gilgit-Baltistan a legal and constitutional part of J&K

House condemns Islamabad's announcement declaring Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province

People in the region 'are denied their fundamental rights,' resolution says

LONDON: A motion was tabled in the British Parliament condemning Islamabad's announcement+ declaring Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth frontier+ , saying the region is a legal and constitutional part of Jammu & Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947.

The motion which was tabled on March 23 and sponsored by Conservative Party leader Bob Blackman, stated that Pakistan, by making such an announcement, is implying its attempt to annex the already disputed area. "Gilgit-Baltistan is a legal and constitutional part of the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India, which is illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947, and where people are denied their fundamental rights including the right of freedom of expression," the motion read.

It was further noted that the attempts to change the demography of the region was in violation of State Subject Ordinance and the 'forced and illegal construction' of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor+ (CPEC) further aggravated and interfered with the disputed territory . Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign affairs ministry has said that Beijing was ready to work with Islamabad to take forward the CPEC to benefit the people of both countries.

The economic corridor is a $51.5 billion project that aims to connect Kashgar, in China's western province of Xinjiang, with the port of Gwadar+ in the Pakistani province of Balochistan.

[edit] Pakistani attempts to merge Gilgit-Baltistan as a province

[edit] The reasons why

Gilgit-Baltistan, some facts; The Times of India, March 18, 2017

See 'Why Pakistani wants to merge Gilgit-Baltistan as a province'

[edit] The Government of Gilgit-Baltisan order 2009

May 8, 2012 Dawn


THE federation of Pakistan comprises four provinces and four non-provincial units, namely Fata, Northern Areas, which is now Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Islamabad Capital Territory. The people of Gilgit-Baltistan have been living in a constitutional vacuum for over 64 years. They are neither given representation in the parliament nor a constitutional mandate to the local assembly.

In August 2009, an ad hoc ordinance was introduced by the government of Pakistan called Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-governance Order. The Pakistan People’s Party called it a democratic change in Gilgit-Baltistan. I accept that names have been changed: executive to governor and deputy executive to chief minister, Northern Areas to Gilgit-Baltistan. We can’t complain much about that. There is no doubt that ministers have been increased but the budget is the same.

It was a matter of celebration for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan that they are going to have their own governor and chief minister, and that Gilgit-Baltistan has been given the status of so-called province. But, in fact, nothing has been changed at grassroots level. There is no status of a province, no representation either in parliament.

We are neither given any administrative setup like Azad Jammu and Kashmir nor facilities which other provinces enjoy.

This arrangement, on the other hand, increases the confusion of the local people in order to explain the future status of the area and raises numerous questions. Will a citizen of Gilgit-Baltistan be able to be a chief justice in courts of Pakistan including the Supreme Court? Will a citizen of Gilgit-Baltistan be able to be a general in the Pakistan army? Will it be written in syllabus that Pakistan has five provinces?

Three years have passed while the area did not get part in the NFC award, separate quota in competitive examinations and seats in various universities of Pakistan.

Since 1947 the constitutional and administrative status and fundamental human and political rights of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan have been discussed between governments of Pakistan and India. The constitutions of 1956, 1962 and 1973 of Pakistan do not recognise Gilgit-Baltistan as part of Pakistan.

It is clearly explained that Gilgit-Baltistan is not part of Pakistan in term of Article 1 of the Constitution of Pakistan which spells out territorial limits of the country. But democratic and military dictators introduced various governance reforms in the area under different names in order to align it with the emerging economics and political needs of the country.

Now, it is indeed required to clear the ambiguity over Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan must change the bureaucratic government in Gilgit-Baltistan and empower the legislative assembly, strengthening its institutional capacity to work for the people rather than for bureaucrats and politicians.

[edit] 2014/ Amendment- The Government of Gilgit-Baltisan order 2009

December 10, 2009: The Nation


President Mamnoon Hussain, on the advice of the Prime Minister, has approved the proposed amendments in Gilgit-Baltistan (Empowerment and Self-Governance) Order, 2009.

The summary for the proposed amendments was initiated by the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Following is the text of the Order, "S.R.O--- (1)/2014- In exercise of the power conferred by Article 93 of the Gilgit-Baltistan (Empowerment and Self-Governance) Order, 2009, the Government of Pakistan is pleased to direct that the following amendments shall be made in the aforesaid order, namely:-In the aforesaid order,

a) in Article 33, for clause(10), the following shall be substituted, namely:-

"(10) an elected member shall hold office for a term of five years from the day he enters upon his office";

b) In Article 35, after clause (4), the following new clause shall be inserted namely;-

"(5) on dissolution of Assembly on completion of its term, or in case it is dissolved under Article 41, the Chairman of the council shall appoint a caretaker Cabinet:

Provided that the caretaker Chief Minister shall be selected by the Chairman of the Council in consultation with the Chief Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly and the Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan;

Provided further that the Members of the Caretaker Cabinet shall be appointed on the advice of the caretaker Chief Minister:

Provided also that if the Chief Minister, the leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly and Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan do not agree on any person to be appointed as care-taker Chief Minister, the Chairman of the Council may appoint, in his discretion, a care-taker Chief Minister," and

(c) In Article 41, after clause (2), the following new clause shall be inserted, namely:-

"(3) Notwithstanding anything in the Order, if at any time it is not possible for any reason to hold general election to the Assembly, the Government of Pakistan may postpone the election for a period not exceeding ninety days at a time."

Retrieved from ‘http://indpaedia.com/ind/index.php?title=Gilgit-Baltistan&oldid=90868’
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Toolbox
Translate