Outdated Governance is Harming Pakistan’s High-Tech Mineral Future in Gilgit-Baltistan

Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) possesses a massive, untapped treasure of rare earth elements vital for global high-tech and clean energy supply chains, positioning the region as a potential economic hub for Pakistan. Despite excellent strategic links, including the CPEC road network, this prosperity is currently blocked by a profoundly flawed legal and governance framework.

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The prevailing Gilgit-Baltistan Governance Order 2018 operates under a colonial model, denying the region constitutional status and centralizing all major decision-making, particularly concerning lucrative minerals, investment, and judiciary, in the Pakistani Prime Minister’s office. This blurred, highly discretionary system means laws and contracts can be altered “at whim,” creating obvious red flags for capital-intensive rare earth investors who demand stable laws, independent courts, and predictable long-term agreements.

By clinging to the 2018 Order, Pakistan is harming its strategic interest, risking the loss of billions in potential investment to legally secure nations, while simultaneously denying local GB communities fundamental rights and a share in their resources. The solution lies in the immediate implementation of the Supreme Court-approved Gilgit-Baltistan Governance Reforms Order, 2019.

This framework ensures fundamental rights, establishes an independent judiciary with recourse to the apex court, and crucially, provides permanence and predictability for investors through mandatory Supreme Court oversight on all future amendments, offering the only lawful and practical way to unlock GB’s economic potential.