Pakistan-Occupied Gilgit-Baltistan Faces Protests Over Taxation, Energy Shortages and Governance
Pakistan has administered Gilgit-Baltistan since 1948 without granting it full constitutional status as a province, maintaining control through executive orders and federal oversight. The Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order of 2009 introduced positions such as chief minister and governor, but key sectors including minerals, hydropower and security remained under federal authority via the Gilgit-Baltistan Council, chaired by Pakistan's prime minister. The 2018 Gilgit-Baltistan Order abolished the council and shifted some powers to the local assembly, though legal experts and political actors maintained that Islamabad retained significant control through the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and federal cabinet.
A 2020 pledge by then-Prime Minister Imran Khan to grant provisional provincial status did not materialize. In 2022, new federal taxation measures prompted protests in districts including Gilgit, Skardu and Hunza, organized by trader associations and the Awami Action Committee. Demonstrators argued that taxes were collected without adequate local representation or reinvestment.
The region, which hosts glaciers feeding the Indus River and holds deposits of gold, copper and rare earth minerals, experiences chronic energy shortages, with deficits up to 18-20 hours daily in winter. Hydropower potential is underutilized amid projects like the Diamer-Bhasha Dam. Residents have raised issues over delayed compensation for displaced communities and limited local hiring on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, where most workers are non-local.
Groups including the Awami Action Committee, Gilgit-Baltistan National Alliance, GB Youth Movement and trader bodies have led protests over electricity shortages, wheat subsidy reductions, taxation and land policies. Demonstrations intensified in 2023 and 2024.
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