Gilgit Baltistan Protest against the 28th April 1948 Karachi Agreement

On 28th April, the Nationalist groups in Gilgit Baltistan called for a protest against 28th April 1948 agreement between Pakistan and Gilgit. However, 11 leaders from Nationalist groups were made exiled for 90 days from their native cities over night. Local newspaper, daily muhasib, Gilgit Baltistan claimed that the local police raided the houses and hotels where the nationalsits were staying and arrested 11 of them in the midnight in order to prevent the demonstration. Many pro-freedom activists from Azad Kashmir also came to Gilgit Baltistan to take part in the demonstration.

However, today another emergency meeting was organized by Karakaram National Movement (KNM). In the meeting the main issue that was discussed was against the exile of KNM leaders including chairman Farzandan Karakaram, Wajahat Hussain, Nadir Hussain as well as some prominent leaders of Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). Secretary General of KNM, Afsar Jan Watan Yar said that making the nationalist exile is a crack dawn against the nationalist groups and he further said that the people of Gilgit Baltistan sacrificed their lives for Pakistan and today the consequence of our sacrifices is only injustice, we don’t have the freedom of expression he said.

Secretary General of KNM, Afsar Jan Watan Yar rejected 28th April 1948 Karachi agreement and said that the agreement is not valid as the people of gilgit were not given the right of self determination and this agreement was not done according to their will. He said that exiled members should be allowed back to Baltistan immedialtely or else the government and the administrator will be responsible for the consequences.

Shabana Bashir
shabana@KashmirPage.com