Pakistan PM Sharif accelerates projects in Gilgit-Baltistan — The Hindu

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the acceleration of federal development projects in Gilgit-Baltistan and the timely allocation of funds. He issued the instruction during a meeting in Islamabad dedicated to the progress of work in the region bordering China, The Hindu reports.

Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain also attended the meeting. According to Pakistan's state radio, Sharif ordered the removal of obstacles delaying project implementation and the establishment of coordination between the relevant institutions.

Energy and digital infrastructure

Participants in the meeting reviewed the status of hydropower, infrastructure and solar projects. The Pakistani prime minister specifically instructed that construction of a 100-megawatt solar power plant, launched by the federal government for the region, be completed as soon as possible.

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They also discussed the completion of a Chinese-funded energy project in Naltar and the deployment of digital infrastructure. Sharif called for regular monitoring of project implementation, primarily in the energy sector.

India's position

The meeting also received a report from a committee formed in July on the prime minister's instructions. It assesses the implementation of ongoing federal projects, obstacles to their implementation, and measures needed for the timely completion of work.

Gilgit-Baltistan is strategically important because of its proximity to China and its location on the route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which connects China's Xinjiang with Pakistan's port of Gwadar. India states that the entire territory of the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, is an integral part of India and objects to corridor projects in territories which, according to New Delhi's position, are under Pakistan's illegal control.