Shigar, Gilgit Baltistan (Pakistan administrated Kashmir): Thousands of residents took to the streets of Shigar in Gilgit-Baltistan today to protest against the increasing encroachments on mountains, pastures, and mineral resources. Chanting powerful slogans like “No to Land Grabbing” and “No to Seizure of Our Minerals,” the demonstrators turned the town into a sea of resistance, demanding an end to what they described as the illegal appropriation of their ancestral lands and natural resources.
The protest highlighted growing public anger over what locals allege is a systematic attempt to seize land and mineral wealth without the consent of the indigenous communities. Protesters marched through major streets, waving banners and raising their voices against the exploitation of their natural heritage.
Gilgit-Baltistan, which remains a part of the broader Jammu and Kashmir dispute under international law, has seen increasing tensions in recent years over land rights, resource control, and political disenfranchisement. Residents have long complained of being treated as second-class citizens, with little say in decisions that affect their land and livelihoods.
The Shigar protest is being seen as part of a larger wave of public dissent across the region, with citizens calling for greater autonomy, protection of their rights, and an end to external exploitation.
Organizers of the demonstration warned that unless authorities address their demands, the movement would expand across Gilgit-Baltistan. They emphasized that the land, pastures, and mineral resources are the rightful inheritance of the local people, not commodities to be seized by powerful interests.
This fresh wave of protests adds yet another layer to the already complex situation in Jammu and Kashmir, where demands for political rights, land protection, and local empowerment continue to grow stronger by the day.
