Khuiratta(Special Correspondent): A senior member of JKLF and the president of Human Rights Commission (AJK-GB), Quayyum Raja has strongly condemned the decision of Pakistan installed government of Gilgit-Baltistan to extend the draconian Schedule 4 restrictions on 36 political and human rights activists in the region. According to these restrictions, Passports and ID cards have either been cancelled or confiscated and anyone on the list of Schedule 4 can’t travel, apply for a job, draw money from bank or even seek medical attention because an ID card is required everywhere.
The reason behind these restrictions is people’s resistance to forced confiscation and occupation of their land by the government. Schedule 4 was first imposed by the Pakistan People’s Party, upheld by the N League and now extended to other areas of the region by the Imran Khan regime.
The people of Gilgit-Baltistan have been suffering from human rights violations ever since the controversial Karachi Agreement of 1949 between the Government of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. The declared purpose of Pakistan’s entry to Gilgit-Baltistan was to help Gilgit-Baltistan in defense and administration until the Indian occupied part of Jammu Kashmir could be regaubed and the whole of the state of Jammu Kashmir was reunited , but Pakistan rather began to change the status of the region thus paving the way for India to follow the suit.
While talking to a number of political leaders and activists, including Shabir Mayyar, Quayyum Raja has termed the Imran Khan regime’s decision as a violation of basic human rights and has appealed to all human rights defenders at home and abroad to speak out against Schedule 4 and forced occupation of people’s properties. The total no of people on the so called revised Schedule 4 list is 36.
