APHC-AJK Endorses Provincial Status for Gilgit-Baltistan

• Highlights resolution aligns with UN resolutions on Kashmir
• Reiterates stance on Pakistan and Kashmir as non-negotiable

GILGIT: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC-AJK) has formally supported granting provisional provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), emphasizing that this development would not impact the ongoing Kashmir dispute.

During a press conference at the Gilgit Press Club, APHC-AJK Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi and General Secretary Parvaiz Shah, alongside local representatives, confirmed the conference’s endorsement of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly’s resolution. The resolution was approved unanimously and explicitly references adherence to UN resolutions regarding Kashmir, which the APHC deemed reassuring.

The APHC-AJK leadership affirmed that the measure does not compromise their red lines, which include the Kashmir freedom movement and Pakistan’s sovereignty. Mr. Shah reiterated that the region’s prosperity would not be hindered by the unresolved Kashmir issue.

Ghulam Muhammad Safi stressed that the people of GB deserve equal rights to participate in plebiscites, comparable to those in Indian-administered Kashmir and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He argued that punitive measures against GB would be unjust given the unresolved status of Kashmir.

Mr. Shah further linked GB’s development to Pakistan’s global image, stating, “The more peaceful and prosperous the region, the more it will symbolize Pakistan’s commitment to progress.” He also criticized India’s claim that Jammu and Kashmir is an “integral part of India,” calling it “false and deceptive.”

He concluded by reiterating that the Kashmir issue remains unresolved, and the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir have yet to exercise their right to self-determination.”

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