PoGB should return to India’s constitutional framework, says political activist

Washington, Oct 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) Senge Sering, a political activist from Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB), has said that Pakistan’s continued occupation of the region is driven by its strategic location, water resources and land link with China, while Islamabad deliberately keeps the occupied territory deprived of political and constitutional rights.

Speaking to Strat News Global, Sering, founder of the Institute for Gilgit-Baltistan Studies in Washington, described PoGB as part of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. He said its strategic location, including its land link with China and the upper reaches of the Indus River system, makes it particularly important to Pakistan.

He argued that PoGB does not enjoy the same constitutional standing as Pakistan’s four provinces and remains governed through arrangements dictated by Islamabad, calling it an “occupied area” and a “colony”.

Sering said that growing political awareness in PoGB has fuelled stronger demands for rights and self-determination, with some activists now openly challenging Pakistan’s presence and seeking independence.

Drawing parallels with Balochistan, he said both regions have faced political marginalisation and exploitation of their natural resources. He also cited the experience of East Pakistan, arguing that Pakistan has historically struggled to accommodate diverse ethnic and linguistic identities.

Sering, however, said he viewed the independence of PoGB as an unlikely long-term outcome and argued that the region should ultimately come under India’s constitutional framework while retaining its own cultural and political character.

Referring to the prospect of an independent PoGB becoming a battleground for competing external interests, he told Strat News Global, “We will be this warzone forever.”

According to Sering, integration with India could provide greater economic, military and political stability while preserving the region’s linguistic and cultural identities.

He also contended that Pakistan’s military has a vested political and economic interest in keeping the dispute in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) unresolved, making Islamabad reluctant to pursue a lasting settlement.

Looking ahead, Sering warned that Pakistan could face prolonged political and economic instability, with its peripheral regions, including Balochistan, PoGB and Pashtun areas, bearing the brunt.

He said rising unrest in Balochistan and shifting dynamics along Pakistan’s western frontier could open greater political space for groups seeking autonomy or independence. For PoGB, he said the key question would be whether its people can secure greater political rights and control over their resources while safeguarding their cultural identity.

Source: IANS