ISLAMABAD: The recent barbaric killing of people belonging to the shia community in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) is deplorable to say the least. The false promises of interior minister Rehman Malik have done nothing to assure the people of the area that a repeat incident will not occur. Previously, Mr Malik had promised to deploy a special security force along the Karakoram Highway for the safety and security of passengers using this route but nothing of the sort ever took place.
The trail of sectarian unrest dates back to the radical Islamisation policies of General Ziaul Haq. In G-B, this menace emerged during the 1980s with the planned and organised settlement of non-locals from the tribal areas, Kohistan, Kashmir and some parts of Punjab. This totally changed the demography of the area. In the 1990s the ratio of locals to non-locals in G-B was 4:1 but now it has increased to 4:3.
The increasing unrest in G-B shows that the government is promoting sectarianism intentionally as a calibrated policy to keep the people of the area engaged in trivial issues. Keeping in mind the geographical importance of G-B and the fact that India has previously claimed it to be its integral part, this divide-and-rule policy must be shunned. If the grievances of the people of this area are not addressed, G-B might just turn into another Balochistan.http://tribune.com.pk/story/362545/another-balochistan-in-the-making/
Be First to Comment