Altering the status of Gilgit Baltistan amounts to back stabbing Kashmiris: ISL patron Shakeel Bakshi

Srinagar, January 12 (GNS): Islamic Students League (ISL) patron Shakeel Ahmed Bakhshi on Tuesday stated that altering the status of Gilgit Baltistan by Pakistan amounts to back stabbing the people of Kashmir and the move is a part of a “well planned conspiracy”. In a statement issued to GNS, Bakshi said before the division of the State of Jammu Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, Leh-Kargil and Gurez was one united province of erstwhile State. “First Gurez was separated from the province to turn Muslims of ladakh into minority on sectarian lines. Now by altering the status of Gilgit Baltistan, road is being cleared to gift Ladakh fully to India. To alter the status of Gilgit Baltistan, which is rich in culture and heritage, loaded with huge natural resources with vast tourism potential and famous for International Silk Route, amounts to depriving people of Jammu Kashmir of political, cultural and economical rights,” he said. He further said that to fiddle with this status of Gilgit Baltistan is same like New Delhi granting Ladakh Autonomous Hill Council which will ultimately lead to union territory status for Ladakh. This give and take policy seems to way ahead for further divisions of State, he said. “The situation points towards this burning fact that the rulers of India and Pakistan through back door channel and track two diplomacy have agreed on a conspiracy to divide erstwhile state of Jammu Kashmir among themselves and unfortunately the responsibility of starting this process has been given to the Government of Pakistan for breaking the resolve and commitment of people of Jammu Kashmir through a friendly government. As to annex Gilgat Baltistan from Jammu Kashmir from Pakistan side is a clear signal to Government of India to do same in the part occupied by it,he said. The ISL patron claimed that the second step of this “conspiracy would be granting complete provincial status of Azad Kashmir”. “And, in this way they have agreed to roll back freedom struggle of the people of Jammu Kashmir,” he said. Bakhshi cautioned that before this “conspiracy is implemented by Indo-Pak rulers and their yes-men across the line, it is important for the sincere pro-freedom leadership and people of Jammu Kashmir, ‘Azad’ Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan to reaffirm their commitment towards the freedom struggle and tell both India and Pakistan to restrain from such conspiracies as they will not allow any individual group or state to flirt with the freedom movement and huge sacrifices of people of Jammu Kashmir. “The state of Jammu Kashmir as existed on 14 Aug 1947 is on the whole a disputed territory according to relevant UN resolutions; by separating one part of the erstwhile state and absorbing it in another country amounts to huge treachery with the sacrifices of Kashmiris. Islamic Students League wants to make it clear that such conspiracies would be opposed tooth and nail and this time the sacred freedom movement would not be allowed to be bartered like Tashkent, Shimla Agreement or Indra-Abdullah accord,” the ISL patron vowed. (GNS)