Explained: Why Pakistan Wants Gilgit-Baltistan as Its Fifth Province And Why India Strongly Opposes It

Pakistan is moving towards granting provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan after its Legislative Assembly passed a resolution demanding constitutional recognition.

New Delhi: Amid growing unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Pakistan has moved a step closer to granting provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan after the region’s Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution seeking constitutional recognition as the country’s fifth province.

The development comes at a time when Pakistan is grappling with mounting political and security challenges, including unrest in Balochistan and rising militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It also follows the circulation of a viral letter that falsely claimed Balochistan had declared independence, adding to speculation over the country’s internal stability.

The resolution calls on Pakistan’s federal government to amend the Constitution and grant Gilgit-Baltistan full provincial status, along with representation in the National Assembly, Senate and other federal institutions.

It states that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan should enjoy the same constitutional, political and democratic rights as citizens of Pakistan’s existing provinces. At the same time, it proposes constitutional safeguards to clarify that the move would remain subject to any future settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with Pakistan’s stated international commitments.

If accepted by Parliament, Gilgit-Baltistan would become Pakistan’s fifth province after Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The region is currently administered under a limited self-governance framework and does not have the constitutional status enjoyed by the country’s provinces.

The latest push follows the June 7 elections to the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, which were marred by allegations of electoral irregularities.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) emerged as the single largest party and later formed a coalition government with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Under the coalition arrangement, the PPP secured the posts of chief minister and assembly speaker, while the PML-N took the governor and deputy speaker positions.

Soon after assuming office, the coalition government adopted the resolution and forwarded it to Pakistan’s Parliament for further consideration.

The proposal itself is not new. Pakistan had previously floated the idea of granting provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan following India’s decision in August 2019 to revoke Articles 370 and 35A and reorganise the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. However, the proposal did not progress under the then Imran Khan-led government.

India strongly rejected the resolution, reiterating its long-held position that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, are integral parts of India.

Responding to media queries on Friday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi does not recognise any unilateral attempt by Pakistan to alter the status of territories under its illegal occupation.

“Gilgit-Baltistan was, is and will always remain a part of India,” Jaiswal said.

India has consistently maintained that Pakistan has no legal authority over the territories under its control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and has repeatedly opposed any administrative or constitutional changes made there, describing them as invalid and without legal standing.