Political Council of MWM Raises Alarm Over Exploitation, Misgovernance in Gilgit-Baltistan

Gilgit, Gilgit-Baltistan (Pakistan administered Kashmir): In a significant political gathering, the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Gilgit-Baltistan held its Political Council meeting in Gilgit under the leadership of Sheikh Ahmad Ali Noori, Secretary Political Affairs and member of the GB Council. The meeting was attended by key figures including provincial leader Ghulam Abbas, former legislator Haji Rizwan, Arif Hussain Qanbari, Mutahar Abbas, and the Opposition Leader of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, Kazim Maisam.

The council held detailed discussions on the worsening political climate, fragile law and order situation, and mounting public grievances in Gilgit-Baltistan — a region that remains at the heart of the unresolved Jammu & Kashmir dispute. Major concerns included prolonged and unaddressed power outages, suspended development projects, the ongoing lawyers’ protest, mistreatment of local traders at the Sost border, and systematic deprivation of local communities from their natural resources.

Leaders voiced strong opposition to what they described as “anti-people decisions” regarding Gilgit-Baltistan’s mineral wealth. “The people of this region have the foremost right over its natural resources,” the council declared. It was pointed out that for the past year, ordinary citizens have been obstructed from mining through bureaucratic tactics, and now the central government’s push to bring in foreign investors is being met with fierce resistance.

The MWM warned that recent amendments to the Mining and Concession Rules were made without public consultation or Assembly debate. “No one besides a few government officials and the Governor is even aware of the new changes,” the council revealed. “Passing such policy-level decisions behind closed doors is unacceptable and illegitimate.”

The council also criticized the so-called green tourism policy, stating that it is being imposed against the will of the local population and risks triggering a widespread public backlash. In addition, the MWM voiced strong support for the Diamer dam affectees, urging the federal government and WAPDA to immediately meet their demands. The leaders squarely blamed WAPDA’s negligence for escalating tensions and forcing the people to resort to prolonged sit-ins.

Addressing the plight of local traders, the council demanded a business-friendly environment at the Sost border and warned against creating hurdles during the ongoing trade season. The MWM leadership also denounced the current state of governance in Gilgit-Baltistan, attributing administrative failures and biased policies to what they called the aftermath of a regime change agenda.

Citing the sensitivity of the region, the council called for a serious review of internal security mechanisms. In a decisive move, the meeting resolved to launch a joint movement in collaboration with all regional parties, rights-based organizations, action committees, and trade unions to protect Gilgit-Baltistan’s resources and resist external exploitation.