Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir have been in the news lately for both good and bad reasons. G-B faced unrest early this year when protests broke out in support of Iran. Rights and a share of resources from the common pool have been other persistent complaints. Till a few years back, the autonomously administered region had also turned into a refuge for militants, impacting the cohesion in an area of immense tourist interest. An effective counter-terror effort restored calm, though the threat remains. G-B has held its elections to a representative assembly this week, auguring well to ensure that people run their affairs through their chosen representatives. This should enable some respite.

AJK too has been on a boil. It has an elected representative assembly to run its affairs, and while it retains its singularity as the symbolic seat of all of Jammu and Kashmir, including the region illegally occupied by India (IIOJK), it must, of essence, depend on the Government of Pakistan to fund its development and function. It has lately been claiming rights similar to any other province, where all representation is through the electoral process without any nominations by the federal government in Islamabad. The twelve seats that are contested within Pakistan for the émigré Kashmiris from the Indian-occupied region are the bone of contention, with allegations that Islamabad exercises an unequal influence in the make-up of the assembly through such a separate electorate from mainland Pakistan.

The two regions also remain economic laggards even if socially vibrant and progressive. There is a need to reverse this equation. The state of Pakistan has bound itself in self-imposed restraints in the hope of a final solution on Kashmir,........

© The Express Tribune