Washington, Feb. 13 -- Human rights advocate and president of the Institute for Gilgit Baltistan Studies, Senge Sering, accused Pakistan's authorities of historically using sectarian divisions and militant networks as instruments of policy, arguing that the consequences are now deeply embedded in public consciousness, particularly in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB).

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Sering said, "Resentment among Shia communities is neither recent nor emotional, but the product of decades", in which he claimed the state failed to offer protection and instead manipulated religious fault lines.

He maintained that many residents believe violence has been cultivated internally rather than imposed from abroad, a ...