Gilgit Baltistan: A part of Azad Kashmir

Nestled between lofty Himalayan Mountains Gilgit Baltistan, a resource-rich territory, now occupied illegally by Pakistan was part of undivided Jammu and Kashmir. Gilgit Baltistan has seen a separatist movement over the past few years amid human rights violations, alarmingly low literacy levels, the absence of industry, deplorable road and communication links, poor energy sources and the lack of job opportunities. The political leaders and nationalists in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan blame Pakistan for its discriminatory policies against the region. Raja Farooq Haider Khan, the former Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir said that Gilgit Baltistan is an integral part of Azad Kashmir and demanded that the people of the region should get constitutional and political rights.