Nagar Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan (Pakistan administered Kashmir): In a tragic turn of events that has sent ripples across the region, the body of prominent youth activist and social media campaigner Yawar Abbas was recovered from a remote mountain ravine in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Nagar Valley. Abbas, missing since yesterday during a trekking trip in the Shinbar region of Chaprote, was found lifeless in the Bar Nallah area after falling into a gorge during his expedition.
The initial rescue efforts faced considerable challenges due to the region’s treacherous terrain and severe inaccessibility. Despite being alerted promptly, local volunteer teams were unable to reach the site on the first day. The Pakistan Army deployed a helicopter for aerial reconnaissance early the next morning, but inclement conditions and difficult geography forced the operation to be aborted.
Against these overwhelming odds, three young local volunteers braved the perilous landscape and successfully retrieved Abbas’s body, bringing closure to a community shaken by yet another painful loss.
A Life Under Surveillance
Yawar Abbas, a native of Gilgit-Baltistan, had been on the controversial Fourth Schedule of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act for the past eight years—a status that subjects individuals to surveillance, travel restrictions, and regular police check-ins. His inclusion in this list, according to family members and fellow activists, was not based on any verifiable act of violence or terrorism but rather due to his vocal advocacy for the constitutional and political rights of Gilgit-Baltistan, a region he—and many others—consider an integral part of the wider Kashmir dispute.
Forced to leave Karachi due to continued police harassment and an unrelenting pattern of mental and legal intimidation, Abbas had relocated to his ancestral home in Nagar. But even in the relative seclusion of his village, the shadow of surveillance followed him. On June 5, just weeks before his death, local law enforcement reportedly raided his family home, compelling Abbas to seek refuge in the surrounding mountains.
His fatal accident, many believe, was the tragic culmination of years spent under systemic pressure and unofficial exile.
“He Was Not a Terrorist—He Was a Son of the Soil”
Thousands across Gilgit-Baltistan and beyond have taken to social media to mourn the loss of Yawar Abbas. His image, once associated with peaceful protests, seminars, and online campaigns, now circulates under hashtags calling for justice and accountability. Memorials describe him not as a dissident, but as a principled voice who sought to educate his people about their rights—paralleling Pakistan’s own narrative on Kashmir with the case of Gilgit-Baltistan.
“He was a worker in Karachi, a son of a laborer, and a patriot who only asked for the rights his homeland was promised,” said a friend who had organized protests with Abbas in the past. “If he were the son of a bureaucrat in Islamabad or a general’s child, rescue helicopters would have arrived within minutes.”
The activist’s death has reignited broader questions about the application of the Fourth Schedule law and its disproportionate use against political dissidents in Gilgit-Baltistan. Activists argue that peaceful expressions of political opinion—especially when aligned with international legal precedents like UN resolutions on Kashmir—should not warrant state surveillance.
A History of Advocacy
Abbas first gained prominence more than a decade ago during demonstrations against the removal of wheat subsidies in Gilgit-Baltistan. His role in organizing and speaking at protests in Karachi earned him respect among student and labor rights circles. Over the years, he became an online commentator advocating for constitutional recognition, political representation, and environmental justice in Gilgit-Baltistan.
His activism, however, came at a cost. His national identity card was suspended, his bank accounts frozen, and his movements monitored. “He was politically aware, but never violent,” said another fellow activist. “Yet he was treated like a criminal by the state apparatus designed to silence our voices.”
The Politics of Neglect
Yawar Abbas’s death lays bare the deep inequalities faced by the people of Gilgit-Baltistan—a region that remains constitutionally ambiguous and politically disenfranchised. While claimed by Pakistan, it does not enjoy the same political status as the country’s provinces, nor is it represented in the national parliament with full voting rights. Meanwhile, India too claims the region as part of the larger Jammu & Kashmir dispute, further complicating its geopolitical status.
The people of Gilgit-Baltistan, however, continue to suffer from this tug-of-war, with limited access to legal rights, federal services, and constitutional protections. For many, Yawar Abbas symbolized a homegrown resistance—a peaceful pushback against a colonial-style governance system that has lingered long after independence.
“If You Mourn Him, Follow His Path”
As candlelight vigils and online tributes pour in, Abbas’s supporters are calling on the youth of Gilgit-Baltistan to continue his mission. “Do not let this be just another death,” read one viral post. “If you truly mourn Yawar, then speak, write, organize, and resist—as he did.”
The tragedy of Yawar Abbas is not just a story of one man’s untimely death, but a window into the broader realities of repression, neglect, and marginalization in a region that has too often been spoken for, rather than spoken with.
In the words of one of Abbas’s last social media posts: “I don’t seek violence. I seek truth. I don’t want separation. I want recognition.”
As Gilgit-Baltistan mourns the loss of one of its most passionate sons, the world watches—and perhaps, finally, listens.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un – To God we belong and to Him we return.
