The administration of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (PoGB) has reportedly leased 37 rest houses in forest locations to Green Pakistan Tourism, a subsidiary of the Pak military, at questionable rates.
The rental rates are set at Rs. 7 lakh per month for 20 buildings from the Communication and Works Department and Rs. 1.35 lakh monthly for 17 properties spanning 450 acres from the Forest Department.
The insatiable urge of the Pakistan Army to run public affairs has led it to start a new company called Green Tourism Limited and going a step further, it has now taken dozens of tourism sites on long-term lease and is now planning to run hotels and other such facilities.
The leasing of 37 prime rest houses and vast tracts of forest land to Green Pakistan Tourism at rates that can only be described as exploitation. These properties, which should have been developed as public spaces and revenue generators for impoverished region, have been handed over to the military’s commercial interests on a silver platter.
POGB Properties
The military’s land acquisitions, including those under the guise of initiatives like the “Green Pakistan Initiative,” have negative impact on local communities and small-scale farmers. The Army’s methods of grabbing land in PoGB are multifaceted and often involve a combination of legal manoeuvres, coercion and strategic exploitation of resources.
The military often justifies land acquisition under the pretext of strategic infrastructure development. Incidentally, the Pakistan Army runs huge commercial entities all over the country, starting from gas and petrol stations to housing colonies. It also runs many industrial units and there is hardly a sector in which the Pakistan Army is not involved.
Projects such as roads, military bases, and communication networks are often used as a pretext to acquire land, sometimes without proper compensation or consultation with local communities.
The military often collaborates with civil authorities, including local governments and administrative bodies, to acquire land through legal or quasi-legal means. This collaboration involves influencing decision-making processes, manipulating land records, or using political pressure to secure land.
While POGB grapple with crumbling infrastructure, lack of basic amenities, and marginalization, the PoGB authorities have once again chosen to prioritize the insatiable greed of the all-powerful Pak Army over the well-being of its own people.