Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Advocate Amjad Hussain was sworn in as the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) on Monday during a ceremony in Gilgit attended by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Hussain was elected unopposed as chief minister on June 22 after the June 7 GB elections, in which the PPP emerged as the single largest party by securing 12 seats in the 24-member Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly.
In his address after taking the oath, Hussain said the PPP had emerged as the largest political force in the elections and thanked the people of Gilgit-Baltistan for placing their trust in the party. He particularly acknowledged the role played by young voters and women, saying they had contributed significantly to the party’s success.
The newly sworn-in chief minister gave special thanks to the people of Nagar for delivering what he described as “100 per cent results” for the PPP by electing both of its candidates. He said the overwhelming mandate reflected the confidence the public had placed in the party.
Hussain noted that the Gilgit and Baltistan divisions had traditionally supported the PPP and thanked residents for maintaining that backing. He said the relationship between the PPP and the people of the region had spanned three generations and described the latest election victory as a continuation of that long-standing bond.
He also pointed out that the election result was unique because, despite another party leading the federal government, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan had chosen the PPP to govern the region. Praying for strength to fulfil what he called the most difficult responsibility entrusted to him, Hussain thanked the PPP leadership for its confidence.
The chief minister also expressed appreciation to PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Amir Muqam, opposition leader Hafeezur Rehman and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) Chairman Aleem Khan for supporting a democratic process that enabled the PPP to form the government. He also thanked Aleem Khan for assisting throughout the process that resulted in the unopposed elections of both the chief minister and the assembly speaker.
The PPP had earlier announced it would form the Gilgit-Baltistan government with the support of the PML-N, while the latter agreed to sit on the opposition benches.
GB can become a model of good governance
In his maiden speech, Hussain described Gilgit-Baltistan as a region with enormous potential and said it could become a model of good governance for the entire country.
He noted that the region, with a population of around 1.7 million, covered an area only slightly smaller than Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He stressed that transparency would remain the cornerstone of his government’s policies.
Highlighting financial challenges, Hussain said Gilgit-Baltistan was entitled to a budget of Rs258 billion but had received only Rs142 billion from the federal government, leaving a shortfall of more than Rs100 billion that hindered development.
He further said the region had been allocated only Rs23 billion in development funds instead of the required Rs33 billion, while subsidies stood at Rs15 billion against a requirement of Rs29 billion. Calling the situation unfair, he urged the federal government to fulfil its constitutional and financial responsibilities toward Gilgit-Baltistan.
The chief minister also raised concerns over the region’s severe electricity shortage, saying Gilgit-Baltistan’s vast natural resources were incompatible with up to 22 hours of daily loadshedding.
He pointed out that Gilgit city alone had the potential to generate around 200 megawatts of electricity, while Diamer possessed approximately 1,000MW of hydropower potential. Hussain pledged to closely monitor all ongoing power projects and warned that delays or negligence would not be tolerated.
He promised that by the end of his government’s five-year term, electricity loadshedding would be almost eliminated. However, he also stressed that consumers would have to pay electricity bills regularly, saying there would be no compromise on bill recovery.
His remarks came only days after widespread protests erupted across Gilgit and Chilas over prolonged power outages during intense summer heat. Demonstrators blocked the Karakoram Highway in Jutial while chanting slogans against the government.
Tourism, glaciers and mineral wealth
Discussing Gilgit-Baltistan’s tourism potential, Hussain said the region was home to around 7,000 glaciers, making it the largest repository of glacial ice outside the polar regions.
He described the glaciers as the “third pole” and said they served as the main watershed for Pakistan, feeding the Indus River system and sustaining agriculture across all provinces. He also highlighted their importance for drinking water supplies and hydropower generation.
The chief minister said the Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Himalayan mountain ranges had made Gilgit-Baltistan a globally recognised eco-tourism destination. He noted that the glaciers and national parks were home to rare wildlife species but regretted that poor transport connectivity had prevented the region from fully benefiting from tourism despite 78 years having passed.
To unlock the tourism sector, Hussain called for an end to frequent highway closures, the introduction of visa-on-arrival facilities for foreign tourists, improved international flight operations, destination management programmes and stronger protection for wildlife and natural habitats.
Turning to mining, Hussain described Gilgit-Baltistan as one of the world’s richest regions in terms of natural resources. He said it possessed deposits of precious metals, base metals, rare earth minerals, critical elements, gold, silver, platinum and a wide range of gemstones, but had yet to benefit from this wealth.
He also highlighted the region’s agricultural potential, including fruit production, livestock and fisheries, and announced plans to introduce a “One Village, One Product” programme to promote economic reforms and rural development.
Referring to Gilgit-Baltistan’s strategic location, Hussain called it a crossroads connecting Central, South and East Asia. While road links with East Asia already existed, he stressed the need to strengthen connectivity with South and Central Asia as well.
The oath-taking ceremony, originally scheduled for July 1 at Chinar Bagh, had been postponed after Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari travelled to Iran to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Bilawal promises to fight for GB’s constitutional rights
Addressing the gathering, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari pledged to continue the struggle for the constitutional rights of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan at the national level.
He said a new generation of leaders would carry the movement forward and expressed hope that representatives from Gilgit-Baltistan would one day sit alongside him in Pakistan’s National Assembly.
Bilawal proposed that Gilgit-Baltistan’s representatives could initially be given interim or ambassadorial status until a permanent constitutional arrangement was reached. He also called for representatives from both Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to be included in the National Finance Commission (NFC) under a temporary arrangement.
He said the PPP had contested the elections on three key promises — the right to governance, the right to property and the right to employment — and stressed that it was now the responsibility of both the federal and regional governments to fulfil those commitments.
Bilawal said the state, political parties and institutions needed to develop a consensus to guarantee Gilgit-Baltistan’s constitutional right to self-governance. He also urged the new provincial government to ensure people became legal owners of their land while creating greater employment opportunities despite financial constraints.
Recalling the region’s history, Bilawal said Gilgit-Baltistan had gained freedom from Dogra rule only to later face the oppressive Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR). He credited his grandfather, former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, with abolishing the FCR and said his mother, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, had expanded political freedoms in the region.
Bilawal described the people of Gilgit-Baltistan as patriotic and said President Asif Ali Zardari had played a leading role in the region’s recognition as Gilgit-Baltistan. He also thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for accepting the PPP’s electoral mandate.
Calling for a healthier political culture, Bilawal said politics should no longer be associated with hostility and conflict. He pledged to work with all political parties for the region’s development and thanked Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) candidates and PTI-backed candidates for facilitating the unopposed election of the chief minister.
Highlighting the strategic significance of Gilgit-Baltistan, Bilawal praised Pakistani soldiers for defending some of the world’s most challenging frontiers in the region and in Kashmir.
He accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of adopting what he called the “Israeli model” after Pakistan’s victory in May 2025, alleging that India was attempting to destabilise Pakistan through Afghanistan and target Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.
Bilawal said Pakistan was fully aware of such alleged conspiracies and declared they would fail, insisting that the people of Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir remained united.
The PPP chairman announced that the party would campaign in the upcoming AJK elections on the same three-point manifesto centred on governance, property rights and employment.
He also acknowledged that the governance model followed for Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir since 1947 could no longer continue in its current form and urged future generations to work towards meaningful constitutional reforms.
Finally, Bilawal appealed to the people of Azad Kashmir to exercise their democratic right to vote and expressed disappointment over the PTI’s decision to boycott the AJK elections, saying he was deeply saddened that some political parties had chosen not to participate.