Gilgit-Baltistan: Constitutional Status Swung Between Hope and Dream

Abstract

A huge variety of discussions and arguments over Gilgit–Baltistan‘s constitutional status have existed for a long time in political quarters but still no fruitful result has come out. The rest of the provinces, Gilgit Baltistan is not properly incorporated into Pakistan, even all of its major function is governed and administered by Islamabad. This makes the situation unclear and releases a gap in the power of constitutional status which remained an outstanding issue from day one to the present now. During the partition of the sub-continent of India in 1947, Gilgit Baltistan was part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Maharaja of Kashmir made an instrument of accession with the state of India in October 1947 which is a false instrument of accession by Pakistan and having no proof of such accession being made. This decision caused a series of tensions between India and Pakistan by having a situation of dialogue. On this decision, both the two world majors narrated the entire part of Jammu and Kashmir to their part. The situation further got aggravated and triggered when the local people of Gilgit Baltistan decided to rebel against the Maharaja, forces and took control of the area and made it part of Pakistan. The people of Gilgit raised the flag of Pakistan and made an interim government under the supervision of Shah Raess Khan. On 16 November 1947, Sardar Alam arrived as a Pakistan political agent for Giglit. On 6 April 1948, the Giglit agency was made part of the northwest frontier province KPK, to oversee the affairs of the Giglit agency and include the states within it. Baltistan was also part of the Giglit agency and was under the control of political agents named as residents at that time.