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Everything in Gilgit-Baltistan continues to remain at a standstill as the protests by locals entered third consecutive day on Saturday.
The protests come at the heels of a major price hike on materials for basic amenities, including the restoration of wheat subsidy, among other grievances, Dawn reported. In a post on social media platform X, Zaighum Abbas, an activist from PoK wrote, "People from all 3 divisions of Gilgit-Baltistan started marching towards provincial capital today. A sea of people is expected at the Ittehad Chowk. Demands include restoration of wheat subsidy, internal autonomy & royalty shares in the Diamer Bhasha dam. Help amplify the protest." https://x.com/harf_e_nagufta/status/1751167053774594290?s=20 According to Dawn, massive demonstrations against Pakistan's regime were seen in various districts of the area, including Astore, Diamer, Ghizer, Hunza, Nagar, Skardu, Shigar, Kharmang, and Ghanche. In addition to this, all main roads, including the Karakoram Highway, the Skardu Road, and the Ghizer Road, continue to remain deserted, and the people of the area are unable to purchase necessities. Meanwhile, other than the protests by the general public, which have been ongoing for over a month, the Awami Action Committee (ACC), a political party from PoK, has also called for a protest as part of Plan B. The Dawn report further mentioned that hundreds of individuals on motorbikes took part in the rallies staged in Hunza district and Ghizer district, ultimately joining the central protest at the Ittehad Chaowk. The protestors received a warm welcome from the public along the route. According to experts, these protests were a successful strike against the regime, as thousands of people participated in these rallies. The protestors have demanded that their strike will only be called off when the authorities will meet their 15 demands which include restoring the subsidised wheat rate which was implemented in 2022, suspension of the Finance Act of 2022, and the revoking of various taxes and returning the land ownership rights to the locals of Gilgit Baltistan. According to the Dawn report, the charter of demands put forward by the protestors also includes the revocation of all leases granted to outsiders for the exploitation of minerals, the 80 per cent royalty of Diamer-Bhasha Dam under net hydel profit must be given back to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan finally ending the electricity outages, and the provision of basic medical and educational facilities to the region. (ANI)
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