GILGIT: The Awami Workers Party (AWP) has declared its unwavering solidarity with the protest movement led by the people of Diamer against the displacements, lack of compensation, and ecological destruction caused by the Diamer-Bhasha Dam.
The party has called for a complete overhaul of the Pakistani state’s colonial policies toward Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).
In a statement, AWP General Secretary Bakhshal Thalho highlighted that the over two million residents of G-B have been living in a state of limbo for 78 years under the pretext of the “Kashmir dispute.”
He pointed out that G-B is not even mentioned in the Pakistani constitution, while the state has systematically exploited its resources, installed puppet governments accountable only to the bureaucratic-military oligarchy, and militarised pastures, collective lands, and glaciers that are vital to the Indus River system.
Thalho also condemned the recent illegal leases issued by unelected bureaucrats for mining antimony, placer gold, and other rare minerals in Shimshal and other valleys in Hunza, Ghizer, and Baltistan.
He criticised the takeover of the Sost Dry Port by the National Logistics Cell (NLC), further exacerbating the exploitation of the region.
“The AWP has consistently asserted that the control of G-B’s resources and the right to self-determination belong solely to the people of the region.”
Thalho emphasised that the blatant plunder of GB’s resources and its reduction to a tourist destination not only reflects the colonial subjugation of its people but also poses a grave threat to local ecologies and the broader ecosystem of the Indus Valley basin.
Also read: Diamer-Bhasha Dam protesters shut WAPDA, contractor offices
He called on all democratic and progressive forces to unite against the Pakistani state’s colonial policies in G-B.
He urged a collective struggle to end ecocide and national oppression, particularly at a time when the people of Sindh are resisting the proposed construction of canals in Cholistan and other upstream areas.
The AWP reaffirmed its commitment to standing with the people of G-B and other oppressed regions in their fight for justice, ecological preservation, and self-determination.