Explainer | Next Ladakh? In India-China stand-off, a new front looms in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan
- With the prospect of a brutal winter war between China and India hanging over the Himalayas, attention turns to an isolated region of disputed Kashmir
- Gilgit-Baltistan, which faces being sucked into a two-front war, has long been fiercely loyal to Pakistan. Yet many feel this loyalty has not been reciprocated
Instead of celebrations, almost all the members of the general population interviewed by This Week in Asia during a three-week tour of Gilgit, Nagar, Hunza and Astore districts last month were sceptical that Islamabad would deliver on its promises.
A few smiled indulgently when asked about it, responding with a polite “Inshallah” (God willing). Most were non-committal and responded with the secular equivalent, “we’ll see”. Others just scoffed at the idea that the constitutional status of Gilgit-Baltistan could be changed even to that of a “provisional” province, because of the implications for Pakistan’s long-running dispute with India over Kashmir. Both countries claim all of Kashmir and have fought two wars over it.
On Sunday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said a decision had been made to move ahead with the plan, though he gave no time frame for implementation.