POK Volume 14 | Number 1 | January 2021 News Digest A MONTHLY NEWS DIGEST ON PAKISTAN OCCUPIED KASHMIR Political Developments Protests in AJK Batons, tear gas used to disperse teachers' procession in AJK PML-N issues white paper on 'rigging' in G-B polls UK MPs reject India's stance on Kashmir GB govt moves to hold Local Body polls after 13 years AJK president terms India a fascist, undemocratic state PML-N AJK vice president joins PTI Economic Developments AJK-DWP Reviews 5 Developmental Projects Costing Rs.4.6 Billion Govt to announce economic package for GB soon Govt affirms fulfilling pre-election-2016 promises in Azad Kashmir: AJK PM Farooq Diamer people protest denial of jobs in power project CBR seeks Withdrawal of amended SRO 96 (I) 2021 by FBR in AJK Urdu Media Ghazwat-ul-Hind The issue of unemployment needs to be addressed Gilgit-Baltistan should get rights of a province Constitutional rights of Gilgit-Baltistan should not be delayed “Goal of Kashmiris is Pakistan and will remain so” No. 1, Development Enclave, Rao Tula Ram Marg New Delhi-110 010 Jammu & Kashmir (Source: GIS Section MP-IDSA) In this Edition This issue of PoK digest contains the protest in AJK against food inflation that affects the common people and government’s apathetic attitude towards the issue. There was also protest by the teachers against the arrest of a colleague and the police used baton and tear gas to disperse them. The rigging of election in GB was flagged by the PML-N. Rather than addressing the issue, the government is going ahead with the local elections in GB which is going to be held after thirteen years. Pakistan continues to accuse India of human rights violation in Jammu and Kashmir and is trying to draw world attention to it. Government has announced that it would implement 5 projects in AJK. People in GB continue to protest against unemployment of locals while outsiders are being appointed in the Diamer-Bhasha hydropower project. There is also protest against the extension of Frontier Corp personnel to guard the forest while locals do not have jobs in GB. The delay in granting provincial status to GB remains a major concern and they continue to demand their constitutional rights at par with other provinces of Pakistan. People of GB feel that the Kashmiri representatives have always opposed the idea of making GB a province. Coordinator, PoK Project January 2021 1 Political Developments Protests in AJK School teachers Organisation threatened against launching a “state-wide agitation” if their demand was not met and Danish Khan, The News International, 04 January their detained colleagues were not released by the 2021 government within 24 hours. Spiraling food inflation is prevalent across https://www.dawn.com/news/1600154/batons-tear-gas-used- Pakistan but the region of Azad Jammu Kashmir to-disperse-teachers-procession-in-ajk (AJK) is its biggest causality. In the past few months, Sanjrani to approach parliamentarians worldwide to the price of wheat in AJK has increased by 30 per cent. This has forced people to come out in large numbers bring attention to IIOJK and record their protest. Interestingly, the ongoing The Express Tribune, 10 January 2021 protests against food inflation in AJK are led by grassroots action committees at the local village and Senate Chairperson Sadiq Sanjrani said on Sunday bazaar levels. Action committees are non-hierarchical that he would write to over 56,000 parliamentarians organizing bodies comprising everyday folks who across the world to seek their attention for ending collectively deliberate and decide their action plans. This rising human rights violations in Indian Illegally makes them special because it demonstrates that ordinary Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The people are not just aware and conscious but can also remarks came during a meeting with Tehreek-e- self-organize for their collective wellbeing without any Kashmir (TeK) United Kingdom (UK) President big donors or state-patronage. Will this organic grassroots Raja Fahim Kayani who called on Sanjrani in movement force any substantive policy changes in AJK Islamabad. Sanjrani added that Pakistan would raise and mainland Pakistan? The jury is out. the IIOJK dispute at every international platform, and that the movement of the people of the besieged valley https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/768839-protests-in- ajk?_ga=2.70142935.616812123.1609658854- was as per the spirit of United Nations – that has passed 564372486.1592807652 the resolutions for the Kashmiris right to self- determination. “It is time to give right of vote to the people Batons, tear gas used to disperse teachers’ of IIOJK so they can decide about their future,” Sanjrani procession in AJK said. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2279413/sanjrani-to-approach- Taroq Naqash, Dawn, 07 January 2021 parliamentarians-worldwide-to-bring-attention-to-iiojk Over a dozen school teachers and two police PML-N issues white paper on ‘rigging’ in G-B polls personnel were injured on Wednesday after riot police used batons and tear gas shells to disperse a The Express Tribune, 10 January 2021 big procession of male tutors, accusing them of violating an “understanding” with the The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on administration. Around 68 teachers, including some Thursday issued a white paper on the alleged rigging in pensioners, had been taken into custody for “rioting in a the Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Legislative Assembly polls and sensitive area,” Deputy Commissioner Abdul Hameed warned the incumbent regime of “dire consequences” if Kiyani told Dawn. Speaking at a press conference in the “such practice” was adopted in the Azad Kashmir polls. wake of the incident, representatives of All Azad Kashmir A Monthly Newsletter on Pakistan Occupied Kashmir 2 “A ‘selected’ government has been imposed through the local body elections in GB were supposed to be undemocratic means in Gilgit-Baltistan,” PML-N held in 2008 but could not be held so far. The GB Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal said while Election Commission, he added, was making addressing a news conference in the federal capital. arrangements and hopefully the local body He was flanked by other party leaders including Khurram elections would be made possible this year. The Dastgir, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman schedule would be announced after the electoral lists. and Marriyum Aurangzeb. Ahsan said he had repeatedly Meanwhile talking to media in Gilgit, GB Election warned that G-B strategically and politically was a Commissioner Abid Raza said that preparations were “sensitive” region and that it was absolutely crucial to being made for the local body elections. He hoped that hold “free and fair elections” according to the wishes of arrangements would be finalized under the guidance of the people there. NADRA and Election Commission of Pakistan. According to the new rules of Gilgit-Baltistan, https://tribune.com.pk/story/2279990/pml-n-issues-white- local body elections would be held on party basis paper-on-rigging-in-g-b-polls for the first time in which minorities would be represented for the first time. The head of these UK MPs reject India’s stance on Kashmir institutions would be the mayor instead of the chairman. The Express Tribune, 14 January 2021 https://nation.com.pk/18-Jan-2021/gb-govt-moves-to-hold-lb- polls-after-13-years In an unprecedented development, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom (UK) on AJK president seeks UK’s proactive role for Thursday held a debate on the “critical situation” Kashmir resolution through UNSC in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), rejecting the “argument that Kashmir is The Express Tribune, 21 January 2021 an internal matter of New Delhi”. The debate on IIOJK, proposed by Labour MP Sarah Owen, saw all While welcoming debate on Kashmir in the UK parliamentarians in agreement “to hold the Indian parliament, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government accountable for its abusive behaviour, President Sardar Masood Khan said that in spite especially in the Kashmir Valley”. They also hoped that India’s all-out stubbornness, the world is convinced British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is due to make that peace and security cannot be ensured in South a visit to India at some point, will raise the IIOJK issue Asia without resolving the issue in accordance with with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seek his the wishes of the Kashmiri people. … “They (MPs) reassurance that “all is being done to seek a permanent also conveyed a categorical message to the Indian regime solution to the Kashmir dispute”. to refrain from its illegal actions in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir state, and respect the right of self- https://tribune.com.pk/story/2279984/uk-mps-reject-indias- determination of the Kashmiri people,” Khan said. The stance-on-kashmir AJK president thanked all members of the UK parliament GB govt moves to hold Local Body polls after 13 including James Barry Daly, Sarah Owen, Naz Shah, Paul Bristow, and Steve Baker for their support to Kashmiri years peoples’ struggle for their right to self-determination and expressing concern over the worsening human rights The Express Tribune, 18 January 2021 situation in occupied Kashmir. The Gilgit-Baltistan government has started https://tribune.com.pk/story/2280080/ajk-president-seeks-uks- making preparations for holding local body proactive-role-for-kashmir-resolution-through-unsc elections after 13 years. According to Gilgit- Baltistan Finance Minister Javed Hussain Manwa, January 2021 3 Masood for projecting Kashmir