Kolkata, New Delhi, INDIA. New York, USA.
Business To Business, New York, 7th June, 2026: Voting is underway in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, which is administered by Pakistan and where elections are being held for the local legislative assembly.
The Government of India has strongly objected to the elections, reiterating its position that Gilgit-Baltistan is part of the Indian Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
India has stated that the region is under Pakistan's "illegal and forcible occupation" and has lodged a diplomatic protest against the conduct of the elections.
New Delhi has reaffirmed its longstanding position that the entire former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, including Gilgit-Baltistan, acceded legally and irrevocably to India in 1947.
The Dispute
The status of Gilgit-Baltistan remains part of the broader India-Pakistan dispute over the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir: