If Pak considers J&K as disputed territory, then must restore ‘State Subject’ rule in Gilgit-Baltistan: Activist

Sep 16, 2019

Geneva (Switzerland), Sep 16 (ANI): Gilgit-Baltistan activist told the United Nations that Gilgit-Baltistan is historically a part of India. Col (Retd) Wajahat Hasan Mirza, Chairman of Gilgit Baltistan Thinkers Forum said that abrogation of Article 370 and 35(A) has been done as per country’s constitution. He said, “On August 01 1947, leased Gilgit agency was returned back by Britishers to Maharaja Kashmir and it was merged with Ladakh, Wazarat, Baltistan was already part of it and this territory was declared as Northern Areas territory province having 65 thousand square miles of 75 per cent area of Jammu and Kashmir”. He told the United Nations that on October 22, 1947, after tribal invasion from tribal agency of Pakistan via Muzaffarabad in Kashmir Valley, Maharaja Kashmir did provisional accession of state to get help to repulse tribal Lashkars and case went to UN. He said, “Pakistani rulers already bifurcated Gilgit-Baltistan and PoK in 1949, what India has done now to declaring Ladakh and its Union Territory likewise State Subject Rule which is infect 35-A of Article 370 was abrogated in 1974 by Pakistani rulers in Gilgit-Baltistan where as India has done now by considering J&K as its constitutional part”. Wajahat also demanded that if Government of Pakistan consider Jammu and Kashmir as disputed territory then it must restore State Subject Rule in Gilgit-Baltistan.