The Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (PoGB) region continues to suffer under the neglect of the occupied-authorities, with countless lives lost in remote villages due to the complete absence of medical infrastructure and inaccessible roads.
The local village head, highlighted the devastating impact of the lack of medical facilities on their community. “Our community has been living here for more than 100 years. We have lost countless lives because we have no medical facilities. We are forced to use wooden stretchers to transport the sick and injured, often carrying pregnant women for miles. More often than not, either the mother or the child, or both, do not survive the journey,” he said.
The situation is so dire that the only medical personnel who occasionally visit the village come once every two to three months. The villagers, already struggling to survive, must scrape together donations amounting to approximately PKR 20,000 to cover the medical expenses.
But the lack of healthcare is only part of the problem. Another local resident emphasized that the dire state of education is just as alarming. “Zero medical infrastructure is just one part of the problem. Education is also a major concern. We barely have any educational facilities. The only school is kilometers away, with just one struggling teacher trying to educate the students in the valley,” he said.
In another damning report, a resident expressed deep frustration with the occupied-government’s total indifference to their plight. “The government is doing nothing for our valley. We haven’t seen any officials, nor have we received any assistance. It has become nearly impossible for us to afford even one meal a day. They are even cutting down our forests, leaving us with no resources. When we speak out against deforestation, we are threatened with imprisonment by government officials. We fear retaliation. Look at our conditions: there is no dispensary, and the roads are in terrible shape. The lack of proper roads creates numerous problems for us,” he added.
This neglect by the occupied-govt, particularly the Pakistan Army, which has a stronghold in the region, underscores the systematic abandonment of the PoGB by the very authorities who claim to govern it. Despite being under Pakistan’s control, the region has been left to deteriorate, with no investment in infrastructure, education, or healthcare. The Pakistan Army’s focus on militarization and exploitation of the region’s resources has left the local population in a state of perpetual despair, with their basic human rights ignored and their voices silenced.