Washington, March 21 (IANS) Pakistan would no longer be safe for its Shia citizens in the event of a full-fledged war between Iran and the surrounding Arab countries. The residents of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) could secure a dignified life by breaking free from the “shackles of the Two-Nation doctrine and rejoining India”, a report has highlighted.
Writing for Washington-based Global Strat View, Senge Sering, founder of the Washington-based Gilgit Baltistan Studies, argues that it is time to prevent Pakistan from exploiting religion as a “smokescreen” to mask its savage agenda of harming cultural identity and usurping natural resources of PoGB.
“This year, traffic disruptions on the Karakoram Highway will be caused by more than just snow avalanches and landslides. The Karakoram Highway runs through Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan, which has been severely impacted by the aftermath of the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei. On March 1, the Pakistani military fired shots, killing 18 people, including eight children, to counter the violent Khamenei loyalists raging through the streets of Gilgit and Skardu. A curfew was subsequently imposed, which helped calm the simmering passions to some extent. Authorities claim that demonstrators killed two soldiers and burnt down multiple structures used by the military,” Sering detailed.
He noted that the Pakistani law enforcement agencies are actively hunting and detaining dozens of residents in PoGB, including individuals suspected of having links with "Iran-funded" religious proxies.
“Police are raiding people’s homes in the middle of the night, disregarding the sanctity of Ramadan and transferring detainees to clandestine torture cells. At the moment, anyone who raises public awareness about state-led violations or has the ability to pull people to the streets is a target for arrest. According to media sources, authorities have detained well-known political and cultural activists like Advocate Ehsan Ali, Engineer Mehboob, Advocate Nafees, Fida Isar, Taruf Abbas, Sheikh Yusuf, Nazar Kazmi, and Shabbir Mayar with the aim of instilling terror in society,” the expert stated.
Such steps, he said, were intended to ease escalating domestic unrest, with both the USA and Saudi Arabia expecting the Pakistani military to assist in impending ground operations against Iran.
According to the report, the Pakistani military provides essential intelligence and analytical support to its Arab and Western allies while employing a massive contingent of media activists to influence public opinion and justify attacks on Iran.
“The media uses domestic anti-Hindu sentiments to paint Iran as a villain for forming a defence and strategic partnership with India, similar to the one Pakistan recently signed with Saudi Arabia. Pakistani media have also chastised Iran for allowing Indian ships to sail through the Hormuz Strait, while Pakistan must depend on the Yanbu port on the Red Sea for oil supplies. Many Pakistanis in positions of power believe that a media campaign will allow them to prove loyalty to the Saudis and secure funds without fighting an actual war,” it noted.
--IANS
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