SKARDU: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has pledged to continue the struggle for the constitutional, political, and economic rights of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, emphasizing that the region should enjoy the same protections and powers granted to Pakistan’s provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Addressing a public gathering ahead of the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, Bilawal said his party’s new generation would work to secure the region’s right to self-governance, ownership of local resources, and employment opportunities for youth. He stressed that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan should have greater authority over decisions affecting their future.
The PPP chairman argued that Gilgit-Baltistan should receive the same constitutional safeguards, administrative powers, and financial rights available to the provinces under the 18th Amendment. He said such measures would enable local communities to benefit directly from their natural resources and development projects.
Bilawal also called for stronger constitutional protection of Gilgit-Baltistan’s rights in any future constitutional reforms and advocated for holding elections in the region simultaneously with general elections across Pakistan.
He reaffirmed the PPP’s commitment to empowering the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and ensuring that decisions regarding the region are made by its residents rather than through centralized control from Islamabad.
