News Desk
Islamabad: The Progressive Students Federation (PrSF), a Left-wing student body has expressed ‘unwavering solidarity’ with the ongoing resistance of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan against the systematic land and natural resources capture being carried out by the Pakistani and global capitalist interests.
In a statement, the PrSF declared: “We stand with the people of Gilgit-Baltistan in their courageous struggle against the encroachment on their land, livelihoods, and natural resources.
The student body has contested the neoliberal development model and nexus of the Pakistani Establishment and the global imperialist powers to extract resources of the nations on the margines.
“What is being portrayed as ‘development’ is, in fact, a ruthless campaign of resource extraction and land grabbing designed to enrich a nexus of the Pakistani establishment, imperialist powers, and multinational corporations. These projects do not serve the people of Gilgit-Baltistan but exploit their homeland to serve elite and foreign interests.”
The PrSF emphasized that Gilgit-Baltistan has been witnessing a growing mass movement over the past few years. “What began as protests wheat and electricity shortages has evolved into a broader resistance against mega-development projects such as the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, which threaten to displace thousands of local communities and destroy fragile ecosystems.
The controversial Land Reforms Act, and mineral exploration licences granted to foreign companies under the guise of “investment” has only deepened the people’s anger, the statement read.
Crucially, Gilgit-Baltistan remains a politically disenfranchised region. Its people are denied constitutional rights and remain “subjects” under Pakistan’s legal framework—effectively treated as colonial subjects in their own land. This political marginalization makes it easier for the state to bypass consent and democratic accountability in pushing forward projects that displace indigenous communities.
“Tourism,” the PrSF continued, “is now being securitised, with military-run enterprises monopolizing tourist routes and infrastructure, further excluding local participation and control.
“This so-called tourism development is nothing but a strategy to exert greater state control over the region, conceal militarisation, and package Gilgit-Baltistan’s landscapes as commodities for elite leisure.”
The Federation denounced this pattern as part of a broader, extractive model of anti-people development, which is being replicated across other marginalised regions in the Global South.
“PrSF wholeheartedly supports the resistance led by the Awami Action Committee and calls upon progressive forces across Pakistan and internationally to amplify the voices of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan. Their struggle is a just one—for dignity, for autonomy, and for the right to determine their own future”, the statement concluded.
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