Why Gilgit Baltistan should be a province of Pakistan Written By : SABENA SIDDIQUI
Why Gilgit Baltistan should be a province of Pakistan Written By : SABENA SIDDIQUI Connecting Pakistan with China and the Central Asian states, the Gilgit Baltistan (GB) region is the starting point of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is also the “flagship corridor” of China’s Belt and Road Initiative mega-project. Locked in by inaccessible terrain, the region was relatively unknown until it was opened up by the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in 1979. Constructed with great difficulty, it took Pakistani and Chinese engineers 20 years to complete the KKH due to the treacherous mountain ranges surrounding it. Apart from this, the region was famous for its heroic contribution to the Pakistani army – one of its most valiant units, the Northern Light Infantry, belongs to this region. Always considered a Pakistani region since the partition of the Indian sub-continent, it is surprising that the status of Gilgit Baltistan is being debated nowadays. Historica...