In the second edition of our video series, Ishan Dhar from our team speaks to Senge Sering, Director of the Institute of Gilgit-Baltistan Studies on the Political and Material change in Pakistan's Occupation of Gilgit-Baltistan.
This discussion is a deep dive into -
1. How since 1947, the illegal occupation of Gilgit-Baltistan has been the primary issue, however the entry of China through CPEC threatens to further compound an extractive colonial enterprise into a dystopian scene of vassalage with the Pakistani security apparatus playing the role of a 'holding agency'. What has the impact been on the indigenous people of Gilgit-Baltistan?
2. Gilgit-Baltistan has recently emerged as an epicenter for the COVID-19 pandemic, even prompting Pakistan's proxy, the so called Chief Minister Hafiz Rehman to blame Islamabad for denying the region inadequate funds to deal with the crisis. What does such institutional apathy and discrimination towards the people of GB tell us about Pakistan's interests in the region?
3. How do the indigenous people of Gilgit-Baltistan view India and what is their current state of belief in Indian institutions? Pakistan's repression and political censorship of indigenous communities and has China's extension of the Digital Silk Road had any role in the political censorship of the indigenous communities of Gilgit Baltistan?
4. Representation for Gilgit-Balistan in India. Policy options in New World Order's document, particularly subset representation. Families and communities divided by the LOC and the possibilities for subset representation in India.
5. Senge Sering's work as a human rights activist and the Institute of Gilgit-Baltisan Studies. His movement to restore the Balti script and if it was because Pakistan is attempting to dilute the distinct cultures and distinct identities of the indigenous communities of Gilgit-Baltistan?
(Ishan Dhar graduated from the George Washington University with a Bachelors in Political Science in 2015 and has participated in Tiger Watch's conservation interventions since 2014. He has also co-authored the titles Wildlife Warriors and Jhalana: Leopard Forest in the Pink City).