Opinion | The Collapse of Social Services in PoK & Gilgit-Balochistan

PoK is politically and economically unstable due to social inequalities in the fabric of the country. Social services provided by volunteers act as a bridge between the government and the public, a bridge that has been demolished in Gilgit-Balochistan resulting the loss of integrity and sovereignty of the nation.

Not everyone in society operates from the same level of privilege, likewise not every society is a privileged society. Considering the geo-political context of POK and Gilgit Baltistan, the region is characterized by mountainous terrain, including parts of the Himalayas and Karakoram Range making communication and transportation difficult in its remote areas. The challenging geography limits access to social services including healthcare and education. The area is prone to natural disasters and politically lacks autonomy too. The lack of representation and political rights, especially the right to vote, is a reason for a feeling of distrust and marginalization among the people of Gilgit Baltistan. Recently, there were massive protests in the whole region against the state’s policies that affect the region’s people and their political rights. The media showed no interest in the massive protests, which fueled the situation, instilling a feeling of marginalization in the people.

The region is politically volatile, creating uncertainty and limiting international investments, development aid and tourism. In the context of infrastructure of the place, a large part of POK remains underdeveloped with prevalence of unemployment and poverty. Adding to the misfortune of the place, there are concerns of militancy which further destabilize the region and pose a threat to civilian safety.
POK and GB demand a government intervention and outside government programs too that are dedicated to advancing social welfare, social transformation and social justice enhancing quality of life and fostering growth of its people, groups, communities’ potential. Social workers always play a major role in such situations. They oversee and deliver essential public services, including healthcare, education, transportation and social welfare programs ensuring these services are accessible, affordable and of high quality.

The need for social services in POK stems from factors related to regions socio-economic conditions, historical context and ongoing challenges like poverty and unemployment, healthcare needs, education, natural disasters, infrastructure development, political and social instability, human rights and social justice. Overall social services are vital in POK to address these multifaceted challenges, improve living standards and promote sustainable development in the region but at the same time its challenging too as there is a weak governance hence lack the capacity and political will to support social work initiatives, they have a dependence on external funding. Fluctuation in international aid disrupts ongoing projects and makes long term planning difficult.

The presence of militant groups and risk of violence can make it dangerous for social workers especially focusing on human rights or issues that might be seen as controversial. As the rule of law is weak, that makes it difficult to protect social workers and beneficiaries from harassment or exploitation. The traditional and conservative social norms hinder certain types of social work such as gender equality initiatives or reproductive health programs. Due to the occupation, there are restrictions on movement and activities, especially for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international aid agencies, complicating their efforts to deliver social services.

The social workers being killed in POK might not be widely documented due to regions sensitive nature and restricted reporting; some cases can be highlighted based on the pattern observed like Vaccination workers have been threatened due to false belief that vaccination is a part of western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim population. Similarly human rights activists have always been at higher risk such as Sabeen Mahmud and Malala Yousufzai who survived assassination attempts have been targeted as they are being seen as promoting values or reforms that are contrary to conservative or extremist ideologies, leading to their being labeled as enemies or traitors. NGO workers advocating for education, women’s rights, community development face hostility and threats even attacked in similar contexts across Pakistan as they are being seen as challengers of traditional power structures. Their work esp. in education and gender equality, provokes backlash. Journalists covering human rights issues get killed or are threatened for their reporting. The combination of political, cultural, and security challenges makes social work a dangerous and difficult endeavor/ task in these areas.
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