London [UK], September 18 (ANI): Political analyst and rights campaigner Amjad Ayub Mirza has sharply criticised Pakistan's decision to extend the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) into Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB), warning that the measure is intended to suppress local opposition rather than tackle militancy.

Mirza has shared a press release on X, in which he argued that the CTD's deployment is linked to Islamabad's efforts to push through the controversial Mining and Mineral Bill, which has raised widespread concerns over the transfer of local resources to foreign companies.

He stressed that the security move is less about protecting people and more about ensuring there is no resistance to the government's resource policies.

He cited claims made by PoGB Assembly member Akbar Rajai, who alleged that Pakistan had 'sold PoGB to Americans' through covert deals involving mineral exploitation. Mirza said the plan reflects a wider strategy to silence the people of the region.

According to Mirza, the decision came directly from Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who compelled the financially strained PoGB administration to allocate Rs. 1.5 billion for the new force. Plans include the hiring of 613 CTD personnel, a headquarters in Gilgit, and a regional office in Challas, Diamar district, near the Chinese-backed Diamar-Bhasha dam. More than Rs. 72 crores will reportedly be spent on the construction of CTD facilities alone.

Mirza criticised the allocation of such funds, pointing out that the region still struggles with poor infrastructure, crumbling schools, under-equipped hospitals, and widespread unemployment. He also linked the policy to Pakistan's broader pattern of repression in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, urging people across these territories to unite against what he described as colonial-style exploitation. (ANI)