Mr. Fernando Burgés (UNPO) speaking during EFSAS Seminar in EU Parliament
07-11-2018, Brussels
Mr. Fernando Burgés, Programme Manager at the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), provided his perspective on the negative repercussion stemming from the construction of the CPEC, which goes through the disputed territory of Gilgit Baltistan, part of the erstwhile Princely State of Jammu & Kashmir over which Pakistan does not have any legal right. Whilst arguing that in this backdrop, the CPEC is illegal, Mr. Burgés remarked that the indigenous people of Gilgit Baltistan have been stripped away of their natural resources of their land and forced to accept the CPEC project without any compensation in return. He highlighted the fact that those who have opposed the building of the corridor have been subject to violent crackdowns and enforced imprisonment under the pretext of Anti-terrorism laws. Mr. Burgés concluded by saying that the CPEC is ultimately a marriage of two States which both treat its peoples with violence, injustice and abuse.
Mr. Fernando Burgés (UNPO) speaking during EFSAS Seminar in EU Parliament
