PoGB: Protests against state ownership of Cold Desert continues

Gilgit [PoGB], October 8 : The situation in the Shigar district of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan remained tense on Tuesday, as a sit-in protest against the Chief Court's ruling, which declared the Sarfaranga Cold Desert as "khalisa sarkar" (state land), entered its 14th consecutive day on October 3, local media Hum English reported.
On September 19, the court issued a verdict concerning the ownership of thousands of kanals of land in Sarfaranga, home to the world's highest cold desert. The ruling stated that the "suit properties are owned by the provincial government, and the longstanding entries related to this ownership have not been contested."
Residents of Sarfaranga, along with emigrants from the 1947 and 1971 wars, have been disputing ownership of the land for decades. Tensions intensified when the district administration deployed a large number of police to enforce the court's decision. On September 23, structures built by local residents on the disputed land were demolished.
According to the report, the residents established a protest camp in the Sarfaranga desert, drawing significant support from across PoGB. People from various regions joined in solidarity, including women and schoolchildren, all demanding the reversal of the court's order.
"We have been protesting for 15 days in Sarfaranga. The land belongs to us, and we have faced atrocities from the administration for the last 30 years. Due to the court verdict, we will be displaced and forced to migrate. We will not accept this at any cost, which is why we are protesting," a protestor said.
This situation reflects the broader historical and socio-economic challenges faced by Gilgit-Baltistan. The region's complex history began when it was forcibly incorporated into the Kashmir dispute following Pakistan's illegal occupation of part of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947.
"We will continue to protest because it's our right. Until our demands are met, our protest will persist. We urge the authorities not to hand our land over to others. We request that this law be rescinded and that they show mercy to us, the poor," another protester added,
In 1949, without the consent of the local population, Gilgit-Baltistan was integrated into the Kashmir issue by the Pakistani government. From the outset, residents were deemed incapable of governing their own affairs, and the region was administered under the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR).