BALISTAN: Senge H Sering, a political activist from Gilgit-Baltistan has asked India to regain control of the Gilgit-Baltistan region.
Sering has also urged New Delhi to save the region’s residents from the ‘brutal colonial reign’ of Pakistan-China’s ambitious $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure program.
The CPEC has been a vital component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) passes through the region.
Sering added that through the economic corridor project, Pakistan has become China’s gateway to the energy market of the world.
Speaking at the 43rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Sering, also the Director of the Institute of Gilgit-Baltistan Studies, emphasized that the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan province, who continue to Indian citizens, are under persecution by the Pakistan military.
Sering also recalled the time and situation when the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) had asked Indian troops to be stationed in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) for the protection of the locals and stabilize the region, according to ANI.
Sering added that a similar move is required to protect the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, a region which has been virtually cut India off from accessing the energy and minerals-rich markets of Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, along with Afghanistan.
According to Sering, the threats issued to the locals of Gilgit-Baltistan include murder, abduction, and economic isolation.
Since the partition of British India in 1947, India has kept a close eye on the strategically indispensable region of Gilgit-Baltistan — currently administered by Pakistan.
(With inputs from Indian news agency, ANI)
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