Pakistan Set to Declare Gilgit-Baltistan Its Fifth Province

Pakistan is planning to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province. Pakistan has been in illegal occupation of Gilgit-Baltistan, part of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, since 1947. Recently, the legislative assembly there has passed a unanimous resolution demanding constitutional recognition. This resolution demands the central government to amend the constitution, grant full provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan, and ensure its representation in the National Assembly and Senate of Pakistan. The resolution states that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan will be given the same constitutional, political, and democratic rights as citizens of other provinces of Pakistan. Currently, there are four provinces in Pakistan. These are Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The northern part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) i.e.