India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over its plans to hold “General Elections” for the “Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly” on 7 June 2026.

The Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement emphasising that the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, are integral and inalienable parts of India due to the complete, legal and irrevocable accession of Jammu & Kashmir to India in 1947.

New Delhi reiterated that Pakistan’s actions in these territories are illegal and cannot alter the reality of India’s sovereignty.

The Government of India underlined that Pakistan’s attempts to hold elections in Gilgit-Baltistan are a façade designed to conceal the grave human rights violations, political repression, economic exploitation and denial of freedom in the territories under its illegal occupation. India categorically rejected any effort by Pakistan to bring material change to these areas, stressing that such actions cannot disguise the fact that Pakistan continues to occupy Indian territories unlawfully and must vacate them.

Meanwhile, human rights activist Amjad Ayub Mirza from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene on behalf of residents suffering under Pakistan’s control. Mirza alleged widespread rights violations and mounting pressure on political activists in the region.

He highlighted that political and civil rights campaigners in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan are facing arrests, detentions and other forms of repression.

According to him, numerous members and leaders of the Gilgit-Baltistan Awami Action Committee have been jailed in what he described as an attempt to suppress demands for political representation and economic rights.

The situation in Gilgit-Baltistan remains deeply unsatisfactory. Despite Pakistan’s iron-fist control since 1947 and systematic efforts to indoctrinate the population, there is strong resentment against Islamabad. 

Reports from the region indicate that the local population continues to resist Pakistan’s dominance, demanding greater autonomy, political freedoms and economic justice.

Analysts note that Pakistan’s strategy of staging elections in Gilgit-Baltistan is aimed at projecting a veneer of legitimacy, but the underlying discontent and repression reveal the fragility of its control.

India’s protest underscores its consistent position that Pakistan’s occupation of Gilgit-Baltistan and other parts of Jammu & Kashmir is illegal and untenable. The appeal by activists like Mirza further highlights the deteriorating human rights situation in the region, adding urgency to India’s call for Pakistan to vacate these territories.

The developments ahead of the scheduled elections on 7 June 2026 are likely to intensify scrutiny of Pakistan’s governance in the occupied areas and reinforce India’s diplomatic stance at international forums.