Gilgit-Baltistan residents express discontent over China's CPEC

Story by  ATV | Posted by  Nakul Shivani • 1 Years ago
Residents of Gilgit-Baltistan have been protesting over the presence of Chinese companies in the region
Residents of Gilgit-Baltistan have been protesting over the presence of Chinese companies in the region

 

Gilgit Baltistan

Pakistan's continuous efforts to keep the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in progress are making the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) residents in PoK angry as Pakistan continues to exploit the natural resources.

Pakistan Army was recently sent to Gilgit Baltistan under the pretext of protecting locals but on the contrary, it is actually facilitating the Chinese in the over-exploitation of natural resources and this is causing anger among the locals.

According to media reports, the presence of natural resources is a testament to the progress and prosperity of any region but ironically the case of this region is quite the opposite.

This part is the most backward and ignored area since its inception despite having a very high potential for development. 

The region is endowed with rich mineral and water resources, worth billions of dollars but the people of the region face extreme poverty due to the indifference of policymakers towards their plight.

Recently, Gilgit Baltistan Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid Khan accused Islamabad of halving the development budget for the region to PKR 23 billion, a deliberate attempt to "push the region backwards".

Under the banner of CPEC, work has been initiated on mega dams, oil and gas pipelines, and uranium and heavy metal extraction here.

This has come at a cost to local livelihood and environmental sustainability. More importantly, this region provides over half of the drinking and irrigation water to Pakistan.

Chinese mega projects are showing an adverse impact on the local climate leading to uncontrollable pollution and irreversible depletion of aquatic ecosystems, claim locals.

The Chinese companies engaged in the region pay scant attention to the local concerns in this environmentally sensitive region. 

Many accuse the China Roads and Bridges Corporation, a Chinese firm, of using devastating environmental practices in its expansion of the Karakoram highway in Gilgit-Baltistan.

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According to a Gilgit-based federal institution called Gilgit-Baltistan Council (GBC), the Chinese companies refuse to share revenue from resource exploited by them. Foreign companies don't pay tax to the Gilgit government, since they own their allegiance to the Islamabad.