THERE has been some heated politicking in the country’s scenic north in recent days, with Gilgit-Baltistan finally about to go to polls. The two main ruling parties at the centre have sought to make inroads in the region, with the PPP promising locals greater political and economic empowerment, and the PML-N offering more roads and infrastructure. The PPP chairperson’s speeches suggest that there is some conflict brewing between the two parties. With the federal budget around the corner, this makes for an interesting dynamic. PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in his pitch to the people of GB, has promised to take forward the struggle for haq-i-haqimiyat, or right of self-rule, questioning why elections there are not held along with those in the rest of the country. While stressing haq-i-malkiyat, or right of ownership, he has also questioned why GB is ‘run’ from Islamabad, and why the region’s resources are not theirs alone to control. These rhetorical questions invoke the 18th Amendment and provincial autonomy, which the PPP considers its hallmark achievement. If there is some truth to speculations around a 28th amendment, however, the 18th is becoming increasingly vulnerable. And it seems the PPP is drawing some red lines.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s words raise quite a few questions. GB, of course, is officially an autonomous region, not a province. Formally integrating it could legally complicate Pakistan’s official stance on a UN-backed plebiscite for the entire Kashmir region. The question, therefore, is: has the PPP chief thought his promises through, or is he speaking to a different audience? It seems there is some trouble brewing over the centre’s push to have provinces fund some of their own expenses. Mr Bhutto-Zardari criticised a proposal to have provinces fund the Benazir Income Support Programme from their own funds and pushed back against the rumoured 28th amendment as well, saying that if it is to be done, it should be framed so that GB’s ‘rights’ are protected under it. On the other hand, though the PML-N, too, has called for clarity on GB’s constitutional status, its focus has remained mainly on offering infrastructure investments. It has also avoided criticising its coalition partner in direct terms, which may be an indicator of how the wrangling around the budget and proposed legislation is playing out behind the scenes. The stakes appear greater than they look on the surface.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2026