Ehsan Ali Advocate, a stalwart of the Awami Action Committee (AAC) and a vocal defender of the oppressed people of Pak-occupied-Gilgit-Baltistan, has been arrested from a hotel in Rawalpindi. The arrest of the prominent activist has sparked outrage, with widespread condemnation of a targeted attack on dissent and the AAC’s resistance movement.
Ehsan Ali, known for leading protests against the oppressive policies of the Paki establishment in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB), was at the forefront of demonstrations demanding justice and economic relief for the region. The AAC-led protests compelled the occupying government to promise the fulfillment of their charter of demands. However, these promises proved hollow. As soon as the protests subsided, the authority launched a systematic crackdown on the AAC, aiming to weaken the organization, suppress the masses, and silence the region’s demands for justice and development.
Since the forceful occupation of POGB, its residents have endured severe economic exploitation. The region is now grappling with an acute economic crisis marked by skyrocketing inflation, rising unemployment, and a stark lack of meaningful development. Over the past two years, inflation in the region has surged by a staggering 400–500 percent, plunging locals further into despair.
One of the primary drivers of this economic turmoil is the relentless rise in fuel prices, which has led to skyrocketing transportation costs and an unrelenting increase in the prices of essential goods, including food and medicine. Petrol prices in the region have been on a constant upward trajectory, exacerbating the hardships of an already struggling population.