Ehsan Ali Advocate: The Hammer and the Granite Block

In Gilgit-Baltistan, one of the territories of Pakistan controlled Kashmir-dispute area, Ehsan Ali's name is synonymous with steadfastness. A lawyer by profession, and a Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Ehsan Ali has been at the forefront of both legal and political battles for the rights of people of Gilgit-Baltistan for decades. He is one of the most widely respected figures across leftist circles in Pakistan.

In the late 1970s, Ehsan Ali emerged as a student leader in Karachi, where he studied Political Science and Law. After graduating he was involved in movements against dictatorship. In the late 80s he returned to Gilgit-Baltistan where he continued political activism and legal practice.

In 2013/14, the state cut subsidies on wheat for Gilgit-Baltistan under IMF-led austerity measures. Thousands of people took to the streets in sub-zero temperatures during the winter months. This protest movement was consolidated and amplified under Ehsan Ali's leadership. He co-found and became the first Chairman of a broad-based coalition of trade associations, political parties and religious organizations that came to be known as the Awami Action Committee Gilgit-Baltistan.

In his legal practice, Ehsan Ali is known as a defender of communal land rights and labour rights. He is the go to legal support for political prisoners. He is a teacher to hundreds of leftist activists in Gilgit-Baltistan and beyond. In study circles and political gatherings, he has been warning about intensified extraction efforts by the rentier state. After the victory of the movement of 2013/14, the Awami Action Committee (AAC) emerged as a powerful force, leading multiple successful movements. Their latest battle is against land enclosures to facilitate foreign mining capital amidst the global minerals rush, proving Ehsan Ali's warnings true.

Currently, at more than 70 years of age, he is behind bars, second time in less than an year, charged for making a speech against land enclosures. We call upon leftist forces throughout the world to campaign for the release of Ehsan Ali and his companions of the Awami Action Committee.