Abstract
Situated amidst the world highest mountain ranges of the Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindukush, the thinly-populated federally-administrated Gilgit- Baltistan (GB) region of Pakistan enjoys immense geostrategic significance. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) enters Pakistan via Gilgit-Baltistan. Nearly 500 km of the Karakoram Highway traverses the folds of GB from Khunjerab Pass to the boundary of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. However, people of this region are struggling to attain constitutional status as the fifth province of Pakistan since independence. It remains in limbo due to the linkage of the region with the issue of Kashmir. This has serious ramifications for human security profile of the region. There are competing perspectives on the issue, and opinion is divided among Pakistan, India, the people of Kashmir, the international community and the people of GB. The people of GB region itself, being the main arbiter over their political future have started to assert as a stakeholder in social space. With diverse viewpoints and outlooks, it is a politically contentious and analytically challenging topic. This paper discusses various options to reach policy recommendations on the issue.