ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution urging the federal government to grant the region provisional provincial status and extend full constitutional and political rights to its people.
The unanimous resolution renewed a longstanding demand for representation in Pakistan’s federal institutions.
The resolution, moved by Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Syed Jalal Ali Shah, received support from both treasury and opposition members, reflecting overall political consensus on the constitutional future of the strategically important northern region.
According to the resolution, the federal government should implement the recommendations of the Sartaj Aziz-led reform committee and grant Gilgit-Baltistan provisional provincial status through the necessary constitutional, legal and administrative measures.
The move would enable residents to elect representatives to the National Assembly and secure a formal voice in national decision-making.
The assembly also called for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan to be accorded the same constitutional rights enjoyed by citizens of Pakistan’s four provinces, including representation in the National Assembly, Senate and other federal institutions.
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The resolution further appealed to the federal government and provincial administrations to support Gilgit-Baltistan’s inclusion in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award until provisional provincial status is granted.
Lawmakers argued that the region should receive equitable representation and a fair share of national resources based on relevant socio-economic indicators.
Significantly, the resolution emphasised that any constitutional arrangement should safeguard Pakistan’s legal and diplomatic position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
It stated that provisional provincial status should be granted without prejudice to Pakistan’s international commitments and that it should remain subject to any future settlement of the Kashmir issue in accordance with United Nations resolutions and any negotiated political outcome.
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Gilgit-Baltistan currently enjoys a semi-autonomous governance structure under the Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018, which expanded the legislative powers of the elected assembly. However, the region does not have constitutional provincial status and lacks representation in Pakistan’s parliament despite being administered by Islamabad for decades.
The latest resolution revives a demand, repeatedly raised, by successive Gilgit-Baltistan assemblies. Similar unanimous resolutions seeking provincial or provisional provincial status were adopted in 2015, 2021 and on several other occasions, reflecting strong local support for greater constitutional integration with Pakistan.
