India Protests Pakistan's Upcoming Elections in Occupied Gilgit-Baltistan

India strongly protested against Pakistan's plan to hold elections in the occupied region of Gilgit-Baltistan. The Indian government reiterated its stance that the entire Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, are integral parts of India. Activist appeals reveal human rights violations and political repression in the region.

On Friday, India launched a vehement protest against Pakistan's intentions to conduct General Elections in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, a region that India asserts is part of its sovereign territory but is currently under what it calls 'illegal and forcible occupation' by Pakistan. According to a statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs, these elections are slated for June 7, 2026.

The Indian government reiterated its long-standing position that the regions of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, which includes Gilgit-Baltistan, are integral and inalienable parts of the Indian Union following the lawful accession of Jammu & Kashmir to India in 1947. India condemned Pakistan's attempts to alter the status quo and criticized ongoing human rights violations and political repression in these territories.

Prominent human rights activist Amjad Ayub Mirza has called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act on behalf of those living under what he describes as oppressive conditions in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Mirza has pointed to widespread rights abuses and increased repression of activists, with reports of detentions and arrests targeting members of the Gilgit-Baltistan Awami Action Committee due to their calls for political and economic rights.