Pakistan will give provisional provincial status to part of Kashmir , Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday – drawing condemnation from India , which has long objected to any such changes by Islamabad. Khan’s proposal would apply to Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan’s only land link to China , in the northern part of the larger Kashmir region. Both New Delhi and Islamabad have claimed all of Kashmir since gaining independence 73 years ago, and have fought two wars over the territory. Pakistan’s new Kashmir map fuels India’s fears of war with both it and China “We have made a decision to grant provisional provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan, which has long been the demand here,” Khan said in a speech in the city of Gilgit. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Shri Anurag Srivastava said Delhi “firmly rejects the attempt by Pakistan to bring material changes to a part of Indian territory, under its illegal and forcible occupation”. Last year India angered Pakistan by announcing changes to the status of Kashmir, taking away some of the region’s privileges . Although Pakistani officials made no link between India’s prior move and Khan’s proposals, the Pakistani action is likely to be viewed in both countries as a partial tit-for-tat response. Both sides control parts of Kashmir, which is divided between them by a United Nations -mandated “Line of Control”. UN observers are still stationed in the region. Kashmir has carried a vague constitutional status in both countries since 1947 to accommodate for a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution on the dispute. While full details were not immediately disclosed, Khan’s proposal appears likely to bring the region closer to the status of Pakistan’s other federating provinces. Khan said the decision was within the scope of the UNSC resolution. He gave no time frame for its implementation. Such a move would require a constitutional amendment in Pakistan, which must be passed by two-thirds of parliament. Khan’s visit to the area comes ahead of an election for a Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, to be held on November 15. The body, created in 2009, has few powers, and the region is largely governed directly by Islamabad. India’s foreign ministry has already objected to the election, saying Pakistan illegally occupies the territory. Strategically located Gilgit-Baltistan, with an estimated population of 1.2 million, borders Afghanistan and China, and is at the heart of the US$65 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor infrastructure development plan. Similar plans by Islamabad to adjust its status were previously shelved over concerns that it would adversely impact Pakistan’s case in the UN for full control over Kashmir. Meanwhile, a top militant commander was killed by security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir on Sunday, police said. Saifullah Mir was commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, the oldest and largest militant group operating in the region. Kashmir Inspector-General of Police Vijay Kumar said security forces, acting on intelligence about the presence of Mir in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of regional capital Srinagar, had cordoned off the area and begun a search operation. While the search was on, the members of the security forces were fired upon, prompting them to retaliate, and a clash ensued. While Mir was killed in the exchange of fire with the security forces, another suspect was arrested during the clash, Kumar added. “It is a major success for the security forces’ fight against militancy in the region,” Kumar said. Mir succeeded Riyaz Naikoo as commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen after Naikoo was killed in a gun battle with security forces in May. Kashmir conflict explained: what took Pakistan and India to brink of war? The insurgent was wanted by security agencies for several militant attacks on security forces, police sources said. Indian-administered Kashmir has seen a separatist insurgency since the 1980s. Tens of thousands of people have been killed. India claims that Pakistan supports Kashmiri militants, a charge Islamabad denies, calling them freedom fighters. Additional reporting by DPA