NEW DELHI: India has firmly rejected the Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly’s resolution seeking full provincial status from Pakistan, reiterating that the region “was, is and will always be a part of India.”
Responding to the development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed New Delhi’s long standing position that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India. The statement came after the assembly in Gilgit Baltistan, which forms part of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), unanimously passed a resolution urging Pakistan to grant the region constitutional recognition as its fifth province.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India does not recognise any unilateral attempts by Pakistan to alter the status of territories under its illegal occupation. He reiterated that such measures have no legal validity and do not affect India’s position on the region.
The resolution adopted by the Gilgit Baltistan Assembly calls on Pakistan’s federal government to amend the Constitution, grant the region full provincial status and provide representation in the National Assembly and Senate. It also seeks equal constitutional, political and democratic rights for the people of Gilgit Baltistan, similar to those enjoyed by residents of Pakistan’s four existing provinces.
Pakistan currently comprises Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as its four provinces, while Gilgit Baltistan continues to function under a limited self governance framework without full constitutional status.
The move follows the recent assembly elections in the region, after which the Pakistan Peoples Party formed a coalition government with the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz. The newly formed administration subsequently approved the resolution and forwarded it to Pakistan’s Parliament for consideration.
India has consistently maintained that the entire Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, including Gilgit Baltistan, is an inseparable part of the country. The latest statement from the MEA reinforces New Delhi’s position that any attempt to change the status of territories under Pakistan’s control remains unacceptable and without legal effect.
