Kashmir separatist leaders Syed Alishah Geelani, Mirwaiz Omer Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik on Friday warned Pakistan not to annex Gilgit-Baltistan by declaring it as the fifth province of Pakistan and said the move was unacceptable.
In a joint statement these separatists pointed out that Kashmir, Ladakh, Jammu, POK and Gigli–t Baltistan is a single entity and “political destiny about Jammu Kashmir is yet to be decided”.
Declaring Pakistan as a “prime party to Kashmir issue”, the separatists said that people in Jammu and Kashmir have always regarded and accepted the role of Pakistan as a party to the issue. However, any step which may hamper the “disputed status” of Kashmir is unacceptable.
“We hail the role of Pakistan regarding the issue in international flora, however any deviation in its stance about Kashmir and its geographical entity is improper & will prove detrimental for Kashmir cause”, they said.
They expressed serious concern about proposal of declaring Giglit– Baltistan as fifth province of Pakistan and said that it will have damaging impact over the “disputed status of the state”.
They said that Jammu Kashmir is long standing issue in international forums and world community has agreed to decide its political destiny through resolutions acknowledged by UNO.
They further said that unless and until the people of the state are provided an opportunity to decide the future course of state through referendum, no division, alteration and changes are acceptable. Rejecting any idea of merging of its part or division of state, the leaders said that both India and Pakistan have no authority or right to alter the geographical status of J&K.
The separatists asked Pakistan to show wisdom and desist from such steps which may hamper the political and geographical position of Jammu and Kashmir.
Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik expressed hope that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will fulfill their commitment regarding the geographical entity of Jammu and Kashmir and will desist from this adventure of annexing Giglit-Baltistan as the fifth province of Pakistan.