Is China behind Pakistan’s plan to annex Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan?
- Islamabad’s bid to make the area its fifth province will at the very least exacerbate military tensions with New Delhi, analysts say
- The gambit will be seen by India and the US as being greatly influenced by China
Pakistan’s government is putting the finishing touches on plans to “provisionally” make the Gilgit-Baltistan region of disputed Kashmir part of the country, risking another high-stakes showdown with India that could lead to war.
Analysts focused on South Asia said the decision to grant interim provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan – made during a meeting last week between government ministers, opposition leaders and the country’s powerful military – would at the very least exacerbate military tensions between India and Pakistan. The neighbours have fought two wars over Kashmir since attaining independence from British colonial rule in August 1947.
Diplomatic ties were all but snapped six months later, after Modi’s administration revoked the semi-autonomous status of Indian-administered Kashmir and carved out the Ladakh region bordering Tibet as a separate territorial unit.
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Analysts told This Week In Asia that Pakistan’s move to make Gilgit-Baltistan the country’s fifth province would be seen by India – as well as the United States – as being greatly influenced by China. The region has been administered by Pakistan, though not fully part of it, since 1947.