5 days ago
Pakistan Weighs Province-Like Status for PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan
Pakistan is thinking about changing how it governs Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
One idea is to give them a status similar to provinces, at least temporarily.
The exact plan has not been decided.
Pakistan may use a constitutional amendment, another law, or change part of its Constitution.
The discussions are happening while India and China are talking about their disputed border.
Pakistan is watching those talks because they could affect its position on Kashmir.
China has close ties with Pakistan but is also trying to improve relations with India.
The proposal comes after India changed the constitutional and administrative status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
Pakistan is reportedly considering interim, province-like constitutional status for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The changes could come through a proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment, separate legislation, or an amendment to Article 1(2).
The framework has not been finalised, and it is unclear whether Article 1(2) would be amended.
Islamabad is reportedly monitoring India-China boundary talks and their possible effects on Pakistan’s Kashmir position.
The discussions follow India’s 2019 reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
- Who
- Pakistan’s government is considering changes affecting Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, while monitoring India-China talks.
- What
- A proposal would give Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan an interim, province-like constitutional status.
- Where
- The proposal concerns Pakistan-administered territories of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, within the wider Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
- When
- The discussions are reportedly taking place amid ongoing India-China boundary talks and years after India’s August 2019 changes to Jammu and Kashmir.
- Why
- Pakistan is assessing possible effects of India-China boundary understandings and China’s efforts to improve relations with India while maintaining ties with Pakistan.
Key facts
- Proposal
- An interim, province-like status for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan
- Possible legal route
- The proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment, separate legislation, or an amendment to Article 1(2)
- Current status
- The framework and legal mechanism have not been finalised
- Regional context
- Ongoing India-China talks over their disputed boundary
- Pakistan’s concern
- A future India-China boundary understanding could affect Pakistan’s position on Jammu and Kashmir
- India’s 2019 changes
- India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370, made Article 35A inoperative, and created the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh
- China-related territorial context
- China controls Aksai Chin, while Pakistan administers Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan; India rejects Pakistan’s 1963 cession of the Shaksgam Valley to China
Sources
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