India rejects Pakistan's accord of 'provisional provincial status' to Gilgit-Baltistan

Ahead of Gilgit-Baltistan polls on vember 15, India rejected newly granted 'provisional provincial status' to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) i.e Gilgit Baltistan by Imran Khan government on Sunday. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava affirmed that PoK was part of India as per legal, complete and irrevocable accession of Jammu and Kashmir to Union of India in 1947. Asking Pakistan to t 'alter status of se Indian territories', India said attempts to camoufl Pak's illegal occupation can't hide grave human rights violations in PoK.

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Pakistan gives 'provisional provincial status' to PoK

 Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday anunced granting of provisional-provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan, as per Pakistan's Geo News. “One of reasons for me coming to Gilgit-Baltistan is to anunce that we have decided to grant Gilgit-Baltistan provisional provincial status,” Khan said at his visit to Gilgit-Baltistan. re have been massive protests against this move in Gilgit-Baltistan by bodies like -  Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and Student Liberation Front, accusing Pakistan of exploiting region of its resources, state reports. 11 Opposition parties which form coalition 'Pakistan Democratic movement' too have opposed this move, but most parties will contest for Gilgit-Baltistan polls.

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Pakistan to hold elections in Gilgit-Baltistan

In September, Pakistan President Arif Alvi approved elections to be conducted for Legislative Assembly of PoK's  Gilgit Baltistan on vember 15. Government representatives and opposition leaders such as PML(N)'s Shehbaz Sharif, Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal and PPP's Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sherry Rehman participated in discussions with military high command, including Pakistani Army chief General Qamar Bajwa and ISI DG Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed at Pakistan Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. Pakistan government has signed a Rs 442-billion contract with a joint venture formed by China Power and Pakistan Army for construction of Diamer-Bhasha dam in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Pakistan to elevate Gilgit-Baltistan to full-fledged province: Report

As per local media reports, re was also a consensus in meeting on making GB a full province of Pakistan with all constitutional rights. However, this latest move orchestrated by Pakistan's military establishment came in for criticism from key opposition leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Speaking to media in Islamabad, PML(N) vice president maintained that GB was a political issue that should be handled by elected representatives. Similarly, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman - Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that his party will only interact with Gilgit-Baltistan's Election Commission in upcoming elections in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) territory, opining that interference of federal government - namely Speaker and Federal ministers was condemnable.