*Summary of “Held in limbo” by Aasim Sajjad Akhtar, Dawn, May 23, 2025* *Detailed Summary* *Aasim Sajjad Akhtar* highlights the marginalization of *Gilgit-Baltistan (GB)*’s *2 million* residents, caught in a *constitutional limbo* for *80 years* due to the unresolved *Kashmir dispute*. Administered by *Pakistan* since *1948*, *GB* lacks *constitutional status*, leaving its governance to arbitrary *state control*. Despite its *glaciers* feeding the *Indus river system*, rich *mineral deposits*, and role as a *gateway to China* and *Central Asia*, *GB* is seen by *Pakistanis* as a mere *tourist destination*. *Development projects* like *road-building* and *luxury hotels* harm *vulnerable ecologies*. The *Land Reform Act* (2025) claims to empower locals by replacing the colonial *Khalisa Sarkar* system, which labeled *common lands* (*shamilat deh*) as *barren* for *state control*. However, the *Act* is vague, granting *authorities* arbitrary powers to allocate *land* and *minerals*, often to *non-locals* and *state institutions*. Since *1974*, *non-locals* have bought *land* for *tourism* and *mining*, exploiting *protected areas* (*two-thirds* of *GB*). Unlike *AJK’s* *State Subject Act*, which restricts *non-local ownership*, *GB* faces *demographic changes* and *ecocide*. The *Awami Action Committee (AAC)*, a coalition of *activists* and *intellectuals*, resists this *state encroachment*, but *recent arrests* signal *militarization*. *Akhtar* warns that *GB’s* *rights* and *resources* are being *usurped*, drawing parallels to *India’s* *Article 370 revocation* in *2019*. *Short Summary* *Gilgit-Baltistan*’s *2 million* people lack *constitutional rights* due to the *Kashmir dispute*. *Pakistan* exploits *GB’s* *glaciers* and *minerals* while *tourism* and *development* damage *ecologies*. The *2025 Land Reform Act* claims to benefit locals but enables *state* and *non-local* *land grabs*. Unlike *AJK*, *GB* faces *demographic shifts*. *Awami Action Committee* resists, but *militarization* grows, threatening *rights* and *ecosystems*. *Solutions* 1. *Grant Constitutional Status* - Include *GB* in *Pakistan’s Constitution* for *legal rights*. 2. *Restrict Non-Local Ownership* - Enact laws like *AJK’s State Subject Act* to protect *local land rights*. 3. *Clarify Land Reform Act* - Remove ambiguities in the *Act* to prioritize *local stakeholders*. 4. *Protect Ecologies* - Regulate *tourism* and *mining* to preserve *GB’s ecosystems*. 5. *Support AAC Resistance* - Back *Awami Action Committee* to amplify *local voices*. 6. *Halt Militarization* - Stop *arrests* and reduce *state control* in *GB*. 7. *Promote Sustainable Development* - Fund *eco-friendly projects* benefiting *locals*. 8. *Educate Public* - Raise awareness about *GB’s history* and *rights*. 9. *Engage Regionally* - Involve *China* and *Central Asia* in *sustainable resource use*. 10. *Ensure Transparency* - Publish *land allocation* details to prevent *exploitation*. *Facts from Article* - *GB*’s *2 million* people in *constitutional limbo* since *1948*. - *GB* has *thousands of glaciers* feeding *Indus river system*. - *Land Reform Act* (2025) replaces *Khalisa Sarkar* but has *ambiguities*. - *Two-thirds* of *GB* is *protected area* but faces *exploitation*. - *Non-locals* buy *land* for *tourism* and *mining* since *1974*. - *Awami Action Committee* resists *state encroachment*. - *AJK’s State Subject Act* limits *non-local ownership*, unlike *GB*. - *India* revoked *Article 370* in *2019*, enabling *non-local land purchases*. *Facts Outside Article* - *GB* covers *72,971 km²* with *~1,800 glaciers* (*web:4*). - *Pakistan’s tourism* in *GB* generated *Rs20bn* in *2024* (*web:8*). - *GB* produces *70%* of *Pakistan’s gemstones* (*web:12*). - *Khalisa Sarkar* originated under *Sikh rule* (*19th century*, *web:3*). - *AAC* led *2018 protests* against *land reforms* (*web:10*). - *GB* has *~2,000 MW hydropower potential* (*web:6*). - *CPEC* invested *$2bn* in *GB* projects by *2025* (*web:15*). *MCQs* 1. *How long has GB been in constitutional limbo?* A. *50 years* B. *60 years* *C. 80 years* D. *100 years* *Answer: C. 80 years* 2. *What is GB’s role in Pakistan’s geography?* A. *Desert hub* *B. Gateway to China and Central Asia* C. *Coastal port* D. *Industrial center* *Answer: B. Gateway to China and Central Asia* 3. *What does the Land Reform Act claim to replace?* A. *State Subject Act* *B. Khalisa Sarkar* C. *Article 370* D. *CPEC laws* *Answer: B. Khalisa Sarkar* 4. *What protects AJK from non-local land ownership?* A. *Land Reform Act* B. *Khalisa Sarkar* *C. State Subject Act* D. *CPEC agreement* *Answer: C. State Subject Act* 5. *Who resists state encroachment in GB?* A. *CPEC authorities* *B. Awami Action Committee* C. *Tourism board* D. *Mineral council* *Answer: B. Awami Action Committee* *Vocabulary* 1. *Limbo* (معطلی) - State of uncertainty 2. *Epithet* (عنوان) - Descriptive term or label 3. *Travesty* (ناانصافی) - Injustice or mockery 4. *Discretion* (صوابدید) - Freedom to decide 5. *Incessant* (مسلسل) - Continuous or unending 6. *Expropriate* (قبضہ کرنا) - Take property for public use 7. *Trepidation* (خوف) - Fear or anxiety 8. *Disenfranchised* (حقوق سے محروم) - Deprived of rights 9. *Modality* (طریقہ) - Method or system 10. *Barren* (بنجر) - Unproductive or empty 11. *Shamilat deh* (مشترکہ زمین) - Common village land 12. *Immune* (محفوظ) - Protected or exempt 13. *Severed* (کاٹنا) - Cut off or separated 14. *Wanton* (بے پروا) - Reckless or unjustified 15. *Protected area* (محفوظ علاقہ) - Designated for conservation 16. *Ambiguities* (مبہم) - Unclear or vague terms 17. *Arbitrary* (من مانا) - Based on random choice 18. *Encroachment* (تجاوز) - Intrusion or takeover 19. *Militarised* (فوجی بنانا) - Subjected to military control 20. *Usurped* (غصب کیا) - Taken illegally or by force *📢 Attention!* Please don’t remove the attribution label. Acknowledge the source to respect the effort behind this summary. Unauthorized distribution without credit is discouraged. Thank you! 🔍 *⚡ More Summaries & Vocabulary* Join our *WhatsApp Channel* for article summaries, solutions, and vocabulary meanings. 🔗 [Dawn Article Summaries](https://cssmcqs.com/dawn-editorials-articles-summary-for-students-pdf-download/) *WhatsApp Channel*: [https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7tT3o35fLnJeFbpS2y](https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7tT3o35fLnJeFbpS2y) --- dawn.com *Held in limbo* *Aasim Sajjad Akhtar* THE last few weeks have once again confirmed that the very people in whose name the *Kashmir dispute* has persisted for eight decades have little say in the conflicts which take place in their name. Exposed only to statist discourse, most of the subcontinent’s people have little awareness of the actual history, geography and politics of the areas that are all clumped together under the *epithet* of *Kashmir*. *Gilgit-Baltistan* is one such region. Administered by *Pakistan* since *1948*, *GB’s* *two million* people have been in *limbo* for almost *80 years* under the pretext that their destiny will be decided when the *Kashmir dispute* is finally resolved. There is no mention of *GB* in the *Constitution*, leaving its administration at the *discretion* of the power wielders. This is a *travesty* for many reasons, including the fact that *GB* is home to the thousands of *glaciers* that constitute the life source of the *Indus river system*. The region boasts rich deposits of *minerals* and other *natural resources* from which *Pakistan* benefits. And it is the *gateway* to *China* and the rest of *Central Asia*. For downcountry *Pakistanis*, *GB* is only a beautiful, faraway place that functions as the perfect *tourist destination*. There is little understanding of how *incessant* *road-building*, *luxury hotels* and other *developmental* interventions are causing irreversible damage to the region’s highly *vulnerable ecologies*. Indeed, *GB’s* *constitutional vacuum* is now giving rise to initiatives to *expropriate* nature and dispossess local people. The *Land Reform Act* is riddled with a host of *ambiguities*. Earlier this week, a new legislation entitled the *Land Reform Act* was promulgated to govern *land* and other *natural resources* in *GB*. By giving it this name, the authorities ostensibly want to make it sound like the law is progressive and will guarantee that local people are being given control over local *resources*. In fact, there is widespread *trepidation* amongst *GB’s* youth and seasoned political campaigners that they are being further *disenfranchised*. *GB* was indirectly ruled under the *British Raj* under a *Sikh-era* colonial modality called the *Khalisa Sarkar*. This allowed the state to take possession and ownership of large swathes of *land* under the pretext that it was *barren*. Yet much of the *land* that the state declared *barren* was in fact used by local communities as *common property*. What in local parlance is called *shamilat deh* served agricultural, grazing and many other purposes, and remained somewhat *immune* to the capitalistic logics of *private property*. This historic connection of *GB’s* people to the *land* has been gradually *severed* as private and state profiteers have extended their control over the region. Since *1974* non-locals have been permitted to buy up *land* — most of which has been used for *mass tourism*, or *wanton* *mineral* exploration and *mining*. Approximately *two-thirds* of *GB’s* total area is on the face of it *protected area* that should preserve both local *livelihoods* and *ecologies*. Instead, *exploitation* and *expropriation* is commonplace even within so-called *national parks*. The *Land Reform Act* claims to create new legal modalities that benefit local communities by doing away with *Khalisa Sarkar*. But it is riddled with a host of *ambiguities*, and in some places, provides for the state to exercise colonial-style powers. There are many clauses that give *arbitrary* power to the authorities to determine whether or not a piece of *land* — and the *minerals* that it holds — belongs to a vaguely defined local *stakeholder*. Furthermore, there are numerous provisions within the *Act* for *non-locals* and *state institutions* to acquire and alienate *land* at will. It is worth bearing in mind that the adjacent *AJK* continues to be governed by statutes such as the *State Subject Act* which protect against *demographic change* and the *acquisition* of *resources* by *non-locals*. Across the *LoC* in *India-held Kashmir* the *revocation* of *Article 370* by the *Modi regime* in *2019* was highly controversial in large part because it changed *residency* and *ownership* rules to facilitate the buying up of *land* by *non-locals*. Yet in *GB*, there is no consideration at all for age-old concerns about *demography*, the *rights* of local people and the perils of *ecocide*. There is considerable *resistance* to the unending *encroachment* of the state into the lives, *livelihoods* and *ecosystems* of *GB*, particularly on the platform of the *Awami Action Committee*, a broad-based coalition of *political workers* and *intellectuals* from across the ideological spectrum. Recent *arrests* of *AAC* leaders confirm that *GB* is being steadily *militarised* like so many other peripheries. History will not be kind to those who *usurped* the *rights* and *resources* of *GB’s* people. The writer teaches at *Quaid-i-Azam University*, *Islamabad*. Published in *Dawn*, *May 23rd, 2025*