Speaches of Abdul Hameed khan & Shafqat inqalabi

Speach of shafqat on the topic of "Are we independent
Weekly Bang-e-Sahar Karachi Saturday, November 8-------November 14, 2008
BNSO holds seminar on ‘‘Are we independent’’By Our Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Balawaristan National Students Organization (BNSO) Rawalpindi-Islamabad organized a seminar titled "Are we independent" at a hall in Rawalpindi. People from all walks of life attended the seminar.BNSO Rawalpindi-Islamabad chapter president Mehdi Ali welcomed the participants.Nationalist leaders from Jammu and Kashmir including Sardar Ishtiaq Hussain, secretary general UKPNP, Sardar Sabir Ali Kashmiri, secretary general All Parties National Alliance in their speeches hailed the services of chairman BNF Abdul Hamid Khan.Ishtiaq Hussain said the UKPNP had always supported the demand for independence of Gilgit-Baltistan and from now onwards it would expedite its support to the demand. Former APN president Wajahat Hussain said the usurpers had snatched our freedom and were hell-bent on denying basic rights to us.Chairman BNF Abdul Hamid Khan also addressed the gathering from Brussels and paid tributes to the youth of the region for their struggle for attaining their rights. He criticized the government for stopping people from attending the GBDA public meeting at Gilgit on November 1. He asked the youth to shun petty differences to attain the rights. He said the day was not far away when we will get our rights and become an independent nation of the world.Former spokesman BNF and young nationalist leader Engineer Shafqat Inqilabi in his typical style slammed the bureaucracy, military and outsiders for the over 60-year-lond deprivation and injustices in Gilgit-Baltistan. Comaparing the political, social, economic and educational situation in Indian held Kashmir, Pakistani held Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan though facts and figures, he termed Gilgit-Baltistan the only colony of the 21st century. Tracing history from 1947 to 2008, he said Gilgit-Baltistan due to its geography had always been a hotbed of world conspiraciesLater, through resolutions the students warned the government of Pakistan against any further delay in withdrawing all outsiders including its forces, bureaucracy and civilians from Gilgit-Baltistan who are staying in the region in violation of the State Subject Rule and the UNCIP resolution.It also demanded that Pakistan should cancel allotment of land in the region to outsiders since 1963. They said the plundering of the resources of Balawaristan (Gilgit-Baltistan) in the name of leasing should be stopped forewith because under the international laws the region is a disputed one. They termed the opening of trade routes between Srinagar, Muzaffarabad and Rawlakot a good omen. However, they also demanded that the process should be extended to Gilgit-Baltistan and the Astore-Srinagar and Skaru-Kargil routes should also be opened without delay. Moreover, the region should also be linked to the Central Asian state of Tajikistan because these all are our historical trade routes."This gathering extends its gratitude to the European Parliament, especially Ms Emma Nickolson and other members, for passing a resolution with a majority on the issue of Kashmir and the deprivation of Gilgit-Baltistan." The participants said Gilgit-Baltistan was a crucial party to the issue of Kashmir and the representatives of the region particularly the nationalist parties should be taken into confidence and on board in all talks and decisions regarding the dispute. Otherwise we would not accept any decision on the issue in future.It was also demanded that the campuses of the Karakoram University should be set up in all the seven districts of Gilgit-Baltistan. Besides, engineering, medical and other professional colleges and institutions should be established in all parts of the area.It was also pointed out that thegovernment should make history, culture and languages of Gilgit-Baltistan a part of syllabus from the primary level to the university level.The resolution said a large number of NLI personnel were killed during the Kargil war and the government of Pakistan left their bodies on the Kargil hills saying that they were mujahideen, not the NLI personnel. It demanded that the bodies should be brought back and buried at their ancestral areas with full military honour and action should be taken against those responsible for launching the Kargil war.In the name of Diamer and Skardu dams, Pakistan wants to submerge our areas and change the local demography. We warn the government against construction of the Diamer dam because under the UNCIP resolution this area is disputed and Pakistan has no right to launch mega projects in the disputed region. We also appeal to the World Bank and other international donors not to provide funds for the controversial projects.Until the issue of Gilgit-Baltistan is resolved, Pakistan has no right to tax the local population and, therefore, should refrain from imposing tax in the region under "no taxation without representation" rule. Sometimes our traders are compelled to pay tax at the Sost post and sometimes we are asked to pay tax at Kohistan checkpost. Besides, mobile companies have also started levying arbitrary taxes on the people in the region. The gathering also demanded that the government should withdraw baseless cases registered against nationalist leaders. Cases lodged against Balawaristan National Front chairman Abdul Hamid Khan should also be dropped and he should be allowed to return to his country with respect and without any fear.