Look beyond PoK to Gilgit-Baltistan, urges US scholar

AGRA: Senge H Sering, president of the Institute for Gilgit-Baltistan Studies in Washington, at a recent talk in Agra, claimed India should bring Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and the disputed territory of Gilgit-Baltistan into the limelight, giving moral support to the aspirations of people there who are “deprived citizens from no man’s land”.
Sering was in Agra to create awareness about this region and to seek the support of civil society groups for the people living in the rugged, snow-laced Gilgit-Baltistan.
Gilgit-Baltistan is home to the world’s second-highest peak, K2, and is wedged between India, China and Afghanistan. “Both India and Pakistan lay claim to Gilgit-Baltistan. The last major battle between the two, in 1999, was centred on the Indian town of Kargil, along the Line of Control that divides the territory from the India-held part of Kashmir. Both countries maintain several thousand troops in a standoff on the Siachen Glacier, at 22,000 feet above sea level on the eastern edge of Gilgit-Baltistan,” said Sering.
Sering, on a month’s tour of India, will deliver lectures at educational institutes. “India needs to reassess its policy regarding the region. It should not follow the Pakistan line and relegate this important area to the side-lines. It needs to keep in mind that the region is the launch pad for most terrorist activity,” Sering said.
Though theoretically self-governed, elected officials report to the Pakistani prime minister, giving residents little control over local issues. There are also attacks on Shias. The ethnic groups of the area have no legal rights to their land, and are denied genuine autonomy and political rights. Sering said two boys who cheered for India during a cricket match while watching the World Cup in the privacy of their own room found themselves jailed. They could face a long term in jail, Sering said.
Sering’s visit was organized by Rajnish Tyagi, aide of central minister Sanjeev Balyan, MP from Muzaffarnagar. Tyagi is also an RSS supporter and BJP member.
Ishita.Mishra@timesgroup.com