Numerous protests erupted across Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) in August 2025, involving police personnel, lawyers, and local residents, all voicing serious grievances regarding economic, judicial, and administrative issues.

The PoGB police have been holding a sit-in protest outside the Chief Minister's House for several days, demanding that their daily allowance be raised in accordance with the 2025-26 budget, which doubled their allowance from PKR 440 to PKR 880. However, no official notification implementing the increase has been issued yet.

The policemen, including those from different districts and those deployed for the security of Chinese nationals in Chilas, have been struggling for these rights for months. Despite a prior assurance from the government to address their concerns within 14 days, the protest resumed. In a contrasting move, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against police personnel accused of misconduct, resulting in the dismissal of 63 officials in an initial phase based on a disciplinary committee's decision.

Simultaneously, legal associations across the region, including the Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association GB, High Court Bar Association GB, and District Bar Association Gilgit, organized protests and boycotted court proceedings in multiple districts such as Gilgit, Skardu, and Ghizer. Their decade-long agitation centers on key judicial reforms and rights, notably demanding the appointment of judges to fill vacant seats in the GB Supreme Appellate Court, which has been functioning with just one judge for the past seven years, leading to a backlog of thousands of cases.

The lawyers also call for the extension of the Lawyers Protection Act to PoGB to ensure their safety and professional rights. Additionally, they demand the advertisement of vacant civil judge positions and the separation of judicial magistrate roles from civil judge roles, with appointments to be made based on merit from the legal profession. The lawyers expressed strong dissatisfaction with the government’s failure to meet their demands despite repeated strikes and protests, labelling this inaction as "a conspiracy against the people of PoGB".

Local residents also protested against power shortages by blocking sections of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), especially in Sikandarabad, Nagar, and Nagar Khas. The demonstrations cited persistent electricity outages among their grievances.

Earlier in August, traders and local residents had protested in the Sost Port area against unlawful income and sales tax regulations imposed by federal authorities without local representation. These protests demanded the repeal of these taxes, which they considered unconstitutional given the region's ambiguous constitutional status.

They also protested against the removal of old vehicles from the port and alleged corruption within the customs and local officials. Demonstrators warned of escalating tensions if their demands were not addressed, framing their struggle as fundamental to their rights and dignity. The protests have led to disruptions in trade between PoGB and China through the Khunjerab Pass, with consignments stuck at Sost Dry Port affecting local commerce. Protest leaders have demanded a fair share of tax revenues for local development and strongly criticized the political and economic neglect faced by the region for decades.

Thus, the widespread protests across PoGB are fueled by a mix of economic hardships, administrative neglect, lack of judicial infrastructure, and demands for political and constitutional rights, highlighting the deep challenges faced by the region’s law enforcement, legal community, traders, and residents alike.

Based On ANI Report