Gilgit-Baltistan: Awami Action Committee to hold protest over surge in wheat prices on Jan 2

Gilgit-Baltistan [PoK], January 1 : The Awami Action Committee organised a Gilgit grand Jirga over the wheat price hike and also announced protest sit-ins in all districts, including Gilgit, from January 2, Pak Vernacular media reported on Monday.
It reported that a grand Jirga was held in a local hotel in Gilgit on Sunday and was attended by central leaders, district officials of the Awami Committee, and social and political leaders.
The Member of Assembly Nawaz Khan Naji, Maulana Abdul Sami of Jamaat-e-Islami, Anjuman Imamia, Rah-eHaq Party's Himayatullah, MWM also participated.
On this occasion, participants expressed their views and said that there was no final discussion regarding wheat prices in the negotiations with the government. The negotiations ended without any result, but the government falsely announced an increase in wheat prices.
They said that the increase in wheat prices by the government was a cruel decision and rejected it. The speakers advised the central leaders of the Awami Action Committee to start the movement immediately.
The Awami Action Committee presented a 15-point charter of demand, including the price of wheat at 22 rupees per kg and providing 9 kg of wheat per person, repealing the Gilgit-Baltistan Finance Act, and abolition of all taxes, in the production of electricity.
The demands also include an NFC-style agreement with the federation, recognition of all uninhabited and barren lands as public property, the establishment of the Gilgit-Baltistan Constituent Assembly, 80 per cent royalty in Diamer Bhasha Dam, cancellation of mining leases issued to non-locals.
They demanded the construction of the Shounter Tunnel as soon as possible, along with giving leases to local people, giving industry status to hotels and transport, establishing medical and engineering colleges, establishing a separate university for women, and restoring the ancient highways and routes of Gilgit-Baltistan.
At the end of the grand Jirga, the central leader of the Awami Action Committee, Ehsan Advocate, while reading the declaration, said that it had been decided through mutual consultation of all the stakeholders to reject the increase in wheat prices by the government.
He also announced that the Awami Action Committee will hold protest sit-ins in all district headquarters and tehsil headquarters from January 2nd, daily, from 2 pm to 4 pm.
"Until the establishment of the Constituent Assembly in Gilgit-Baltistan, the people here should be subsidised on wheat, kerosene, edible oil, air travel and other necessities of life."
He said that the protest sit-ins will continue until the 15-point charter of demand is implemented.
All the districts of Gilgit-Baltistan in the Jirga, including Haji Kuman Dariel from Diamer, Dr Zaman Dariel, Malik Sherbaz Goharabad, Javed Qureshi Tangir, Dr Muzaffar Riley from Astoor, Maulana Abdul Sami, Sheikh Abdul Wahid Wahidi, Maulana Haleem Mustafavi, Bahadur Aman from Ghazar, Subidar Major ( R) Iqbal, Abdul Rahim, Muhammad Abbas Nagri from Nagar Supreme Council, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Abdullah Nagri, Rehmat Ali, Hajat Ali and Abuzar from Hunza, Pashtun residents from Gilgit along with President of Gilgit Shamshad Ali and colleagues,.
Representation of the opposition alliance, Member Provincial Assembly Nawaz Khan Naji, Baltistan Region Coordination Committee Chairman Ghulam Hussain Athar gave a telephonic address and Fida Eethar from Baltistan addressed the meeting.
In addition, the representative delegation of Anjuman Imamia from Gilgit General Secretary Syed Qaim Ali participated in the leadership of Shah and assured full cooperation with the Awami Action Committee. President of the Rah Haq Party, Bakhtullah announced full support for the Awami Action Committee.
Apart from this, various political and social organisations and stakeholders of Gilgit-Baltistan, including the Hotel Association, Transport Owners Association, Driver Union Gilgit, Contractors Association Gilgit-Baltistan, Mining and Minerals Association, President High Court Bar, Numadaran Gilgit-Baltistan, MWM (Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen), Youth and Civil Society Constituency No 3, participated in large numbers.
The scope of the ongoing protest against the increase in the subsidised price of wheat on the call of the all-party alliance has spread to sub-division Rondo after Skardu Ganche Sugar Kharming, Pak Vernacular media reported.
The sit-in also entered the seventh day. On account of the non-acceptance of the demands, the all-party alliance announced the spread of the sit-in throughout Baltistan, after which the situation became serious.