Gilgit-Baltistan — The Awami Action Committee (AAC) Gilgit-Baltistan has called on residents to prepare for what it describes as a “major public protest” over the continued shortage of basic services in the region.
In a statement shared on social media by Ehsan Ali Advocate, Chairman of the Awami Action Committee Gilgit-Baltistan, the group alleged that residents have been facing persistent challenges including shortages of clean water, electricity, medical facilities, essential medicines, and subsidized flour.
The statement criticizes what it describes as increasing privileges and benefits for government officials and bureaucrats while public grievances remain unresolved. It further claims that the region’s leadership has failed to adequately address the socio-economic concerns of the population.
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The committee has urged citizens to organize at both village and city levels by forming local “public action committees” in preparation for coordinated demonstrations. According to the statement, large-scale protests may take place in the coming days, with organizers indicating that they plan to mobilize people across the region.
Gilgit-Baltistan has witnessed periodic protests in recent years over issues including taxation, wheat subsidies, electricity supply, and governance reforms. Public frustration has occasionally resulted in sit-ins and road blockades in major towns.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee is scheduled for February 25 in Sehmsa, Kotli, in Azad Kashmir. Observers suggest that developments in Gilgit-Baltistan could influence political mobilization in other parts of the wider Kashmir region, where similar economic concerns have been raised.
There has been no immediate official response from the Gilgit-Baltistan government regarding the latest protest call.
