ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is planning to declare the strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region as the fifth province, a move that may raise concerns in India as it borders the disputed Kashmir area.
Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada told local media that a committee headed by Advisor of Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had proposed giving the status of a province to Gilgit-Baltistan.
“The committee recommended that Gilgit-Baltistan should be made a province of Pakistan,” Pirzada said on Wednesday.
He also said that a constitutional amendment would be made to change the status of the region, through which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) passes.
Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh are four provinces of Pakistan.
The move may raise concerns in India as the disputed region borders Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).
