Gilgit-Baltistan to be declared a Province

The move may raise concerns in India as it borders the disputed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

China’s concerns about Gilgit-Baltistan's unsettled status prompted Pakistan's move.

Pakistan is planning to declare the strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region as its fifth Province, a move that may raise concerns in India as it borders the disputed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Pakistan’s Minister for inter-provincial coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada told Geo TV on Tuesday that a committee headed by Advisor of Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had proposed giving the status of a Province to Gilgit-Baltistan. He also said that a constitutional amendment would be made to change the status of the region, through which the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passes.

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Gilgit-Baltistan is treated as a separate geographical entity by Pakistan. It has a regional Assembly and an elected Chief Minister. It is believed that China’s concerns about its unsettled status prompted the move, which could signal a historic shift in the country’s position on the future of the wider Kashmir region,

Dawn newspaper had quoted experts as saying.