The land has become a military garrison and staging post for the Pakistani secret service agents and militants. Today, there is one Pakistani soldier for every twenty-five local people. Over the years, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan have faced humiliation, suffering and political and emotional exploitation at the hands of Pakistan's rulers who treat the locals as captives and their land as a colony. The ideal of freedom and self-determination has been transformed by Pakistan into that of subsistence and marginalization.

Gilgit-Baltistan is known for its matchless geographical wonders. It has the greatest number of the tallest mountains in the world, including Chogori, which is the second tallest peak of the world. The stunning mountain ranges of the Himalayas, the Karakoram, Ladakh and the Hindu Kush converge here. The mighty Indus River flows through, bisecting the region for a length of over seven hundred kilometres. The land is abundant with deep blue lakes, white sand dunes, the longest glaciers in the world, and the deepest mountain ravines. Yet the natives fail to benefit from these resources because all revenues fill the coffers in Islamabad. For Pakistanis, Gilgit-Baltistan is like a summer camping ground. The Pakistanis can be compared with the Mongols of the ninth century, who conquered China and failed to see the variety of resources and the skilfulness of the people. For them, China was only useful for turning into grazing pastures for their horses. Pakistan's rulers have the same approach towards Gilgit-Baltistan, a land good only for her resources. The exploitation continues even as the locals remain deprived of its benefits.

Even in the twenty-first century, which is considered an era of enlightenment and globalization, and despite an abundance of natural resources, the natives continue to live in the Stone Age. The occupiers intentionally fail to develop the land according to the needs of the natives. Thus, Gilgit-Baltistan is good as long as it promotes the strategic interests of Pakistan. Even today, a majority of the locals live below the poverty line and there are neighbourhoods in the vicinity of urban ghettoes where residents lack access to clean drinking water, electricity, education and health centres. The people here are considered a commodity. In the name of ethnic, linguistic and religious differences, Pakistan's security forces slaughter the natives while plundering their natural resources. Thus, Pakistan has followed the policy of oppression inherited from the Dogras and the British.

The situation has reached a point of no return when assessed for cultural, political, economic and environmental disasters. The recently promulgated self-governance and empowerment package has sealed the fate of the natives and can be viewed as the institutionalization of slavery. The package has smoothened Pakistani access to local resources and the plunder will continue without any resistance. Time is running short and the people of Gilgit-Baltistan must rethink their options and implement strategies to save their unique cultural heritage, environment and economic resources.

This fall, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan will be celebrating the sixty-third year of occupation and exploitation. Only by taking our destiny into our own hands, regaining control over our resources and reviving our cultural identity will we one day be able to celebrate freedom and liberty. But for that day to come, the nation has to embark on that journey now.

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