The elections in Gilgit-Baltistan are scheduled to be held in the upcoming months of 2026. This will be the fourth election since Gilgit-Baltistan got quasi-provincial status. All three major parties of Pakistan have so far ruled the region, although the last ruling party, the PTI, fell short of completing its tenure. The successive parties waged the election war with manifestos hardly achievable. The much-celebrated one was making GB the fifth province of Pakistan. This election seems no different, as it too will likely be contested under the same banal manifesto.
The gullible populace, every time, succumb to the temptation of this mantra. The complex deep inside their hearts always pushes the greed to be a formal part of Pakistan. The idea to link their fate to that of Kashmir was rejected long ago by the people of GB. This will be duality if one says that the people of Kashmir must have the right to self-recognition and opts for silence when it comes to the people of GB. This right must be ensconced in the will of the people of the region.
Another dark reality is the formation of the government by the federal ruling party in GB every time. One may say it is a coincidence, but in fact, it is anything but a coincidence. Coincidences don’t occur thrice in a row. This may be for manifold reasons. On the part of the federal ruling party, it may be the idea to have many provinces under its control so that the business of the government runs smoothly without hindrance from any part of the country.
But on the side of the GB, it is purely for material reasons. The GB government is run with the help of the federal government. Its budget is approved by the federal government. Its health, education, and other public sectors are also driven by the federal government. Therefore, any misunderstanding between the federal and GB governments may lead the working of these sectors to a standstill. This is the sole reason why the people of GB can’t afford to have an adversary in the federal government.
As customary, the politics in Gilgit-Baltistan is, too, not devoid of the ubiquitous establishment’s involvement. Its indirect involvement was seen when the PTI lost its control of the federal government in 2022. With this, the PTI government in GB also had to leave its hold over the sway of the province, despite having a two-thirds majority in the legislature.
In short, coming to the cusp, the elections must not always be an occasion to give a handful of legislators the state’s perks and privileges for no services. This precedent should be broken, and they should be made accountable at every step without waiting for their terms to end. And the reins of government should be handled by the people, per se, not the undemocratic powers that be.
Its direct involvement in 2022 was disclosed recently by the PPP GB president, Amjad Hussain Advocate, in a podcast. He claimed, unabashedly, to have gotten help from the establishment to derail Khalid Khorsheed’s government. The fake degree case was nothing more than a legal drama. Khalid Khorsheed was disqualified for not being Sadiq and Ameen, the same grounds on which the PML(N) supremo was disqualified in 2018.
For this time around, the PPP seems to be the cynosure of Big Brother’s eyes. If it succeeds in sweeping this election, then it will be its second tenure. The PTI’s status as a party in GB is in limbo. It’s up to the Election Commission to determine on what ground or justification it will push the party to the wall.
The number of independent candidates in this election appears to be more than in the previous ones. This will help, in one way, the undemocratic forces to play the game of divide and rule. The more candidates contest the election, the more chances there are for the major parties to win the elections with a lower number of votes. The good thing is that a large number of young people are joining the arena this time. Whether they accept the lucrative deals near the elections to be in support of the big brothers’ protégés remains to be seen.
As far as the naïve masses of GB are concerned, they must not yield to the claptrap of making the region the fifth province of Pakistan. This mantra has become banal after being chanted in the previous elections. This time around, they must ask the political candidates to go beyond rhetoric. The people must realize that something is better than nothing. Therefore, they should demand very fundamental basic rights this time, instead of chasing pipedreams.
Like the electricity availability in the region, which is in a poor condition; advancement in the education and health sectors; much-needed mending of the road infrastructure; actions to boost the tourism sector, on which the future of the region relies; and the erection of local-level governance to provide grassroots-level services to the people. Last but not least, to have its part in the NFC. The federal government should formulate a mechanism to include the non-provincial regions— like GB and AJK— in the NFC so that these regions can cope with financial constraints without federal assistance every time.
In short, coming to the cusp, the elections must not always be an occasion to give a handful of legislators the state’s perks and privileges for no services. This precedent should be broken, and they should be made accountable at every step without waiting for their terms to end. And the reins of government should be handled by the people, per se, not the undemocratic powers that be.
