KASHMIR-25

 

NORTHERN AREAS

Northern Areas of Pakistan/POK comprise of the districts of Gilgit, Skardu, Diamir, Ghizer & Ghanche. Total area is 72,495 Sq KMs ,and is  inhabited by about 1.55 million people.Surprisingly,these people are ethnics who speak Baltee,Shindi,Vashkuni,Kashmiri,Pathani,Ladhaki,

Mughali & other languages & are ethnically diverse.Tibetan,Wakhi,Khawer,Brushaski,Turki ,

Tibeti & Pashto dialects are spoken.Urdu is also known to a few.The literary rate is just about 13.7% for males & about 3.46 % for females.

This is easily the most backward & neglected area of POK that has no industry/infrastructure/other forms of development.There are two graduate level colleges but no medical/engineering college exists.

Owing to it's geographic location, it assumes great geo-strategic significance as it forms a wedge between Afghanistan & Sinkiang Province of China & affords a land route between Pakistan & China.It is worth mentioning that Karakorum Highway from POK passes through this area to China.This facilitates clandestine transfer of military weaponry from China to Pakistan.

It is for this reason that Pakistan does not consider Northern Areas as part of AJK (POK) as the status of the area would then be questionable and Pakistan would not have been in a position to hand over 5180 Sq KMs of Northern Areas (Part of J & K,India) to China.This is notwithstanding Article 6 of Sino-Pakistan Agreement of   1963 ,in which, this area has been considered as part of AJK(POK).

The status of Northern Areas  has been kept  obscure by design by Pakistan.None of the Constitutions of Pakistan describe Northern Areas as part of Pakistan territories.So much so,even the 1974 Interim Constitution of AJK(POK) does not include Gilgit & Baltistan as territories of AJK/POK).

Cunningly,these territories have been earmarked to be managed by Kashmir & Northern Areas Ministry (KANA) of Pakistan. A court case in AJK (POK) High Court ruled in 1990 that Northern Areas are part of AJK (POK) but the order was modified by Pakistan Supreme Court.

The above situation is perplexed & has highlighted the lie of Pakistan,in that, on one hand Pakistan claims that Northern Areas are not part of AJK/POK/Kashmir,on the other,Pakistan agreed in the so called Sino-Pak Agreement of 1963 ceding the subject territory to China with a proviso that once the Kashmir issue was solved,this issue shall then be re opened with the country of which Kashmir will become a part.This is baffling indeed!

So, Pakistan does not accept internally Northern Areas as part of Kashmir while in her external affairs,she accepts it to be so as described in the Sino-Pak Agreement of 1963.

Pakistan treats this area with utter neglect,disdain & contempt & provides a step motherly treatment to it.Their mere existence  is just to meet the requirement of mainland Pakistan.

It may be recalled that a large number of Northern Light Infantry (NLI) troops were employed during the Kargil Conflict.

                             (NLI GALLERY)

"THOUSANDS OF NLI SOLDIERS WERE KILLED IN THIS WAR.  PAKISTANI  ARMY OFFICERS(MOSTLY PUNJABI MUSLIMS) JUST ABANDONED  THEIR DEAD & WOUNDED SOLDIERS ON THE HIGH MOUNTAINS WHILE RETREATING. NOT ONLY THIS,THE BODIES OF SOME OF THE NLI TROOPS WERE BOOBY TRAPPED TO INFLICT CASUALTIES TO INDIAN TROOPS ,WHO IN TURN,GAVE THE DEAD BODIES AN APPROPRIATE MILITARY BURIAL WITH PROPER ISLAMIC RITES.

SUCH IS THE CONCERN OF PAKISTAN FOR THE PEOPLE OF NORTHERN AREAS."