India protests Pakistan’s Gilgit‑Baltistan assembly elections, calling them a breach of UN resolutions

New Delhi’s Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday sent a pointed diplomatic note to Islamabad, registering a "strong protest" against the upcoming assembly elections in Gilgit‑Baltistan. In the note, India argued that the polls are a direct violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions that call for a peaceful, mutually agreed settlement of the larger Kashmir dispute.

India’s stance is rooted in the long‑standing claim that Gilgit‑Baltistan, along with the rest of Jammu and Kashmir, is an integral part of Indian territory. The country’s officials warned that any unilateral attempt by Pakistan to alter the status‑quo could further destabilise the fragile peace that has held the region together for decades.

Pakistani authorities, meanwhile, dismissed India’s objections as "interference in internal matters". They reiterated that the elections are part of a broader effort to grant greater political representation to the people of Gilgit‑Baltistan, a region that, they say, has been historically neglected.

Analysts note that the diplomatic spat comes at a sensitive time, with both capitals navigating a complex web of security concerns, trade links, and people‑to‑people contacts across the high‑altitude frontier. While Islamabad argues that the elections are a step toward democratic empowerment, New Delhi fears they could be used to cement Pakistan’s de‑facto control over the area.

The controversy also revives discussions about the 1949 UN cease‑fire line and the 1972 Simla Agreement, both of which left the final status of Jammu and Kashmir unsettled. India maintains that any change to the region’s political landscape must be decided through a bilateral dialogue, not unilateral actions.

In response, Pakistan’s Foreign Office released a statement urging India to "respect the democratic aspirations" of Gilgit‑Baltistan’s residents and to avoid "politicising" a legitimate electoral process. The note also hinted that Islamabad could consider a range of diplomatic tools if the dispute escalates further.

For now, the two neighbours remain locked in a diplomatic tug‑of‑war, each side invoking international law and historical rights to bolster its position. The outcome of the elections, slated for later this year, will likely become another chapter in the protracted Kashmir saga.