NEW DELHI: The Government of India has lodged a strong diplomatic protest against Pakistan’s decision to hold elections for the so-called Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly on June 7, 2026. In a sharply worded statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), New Delhi reiterated its long-standing position that the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, are integral and inalienable parts of India.
The protest comes amid renewed tensions over the status of territories that India says are under Pakistan’s illegal occupation. According to the MEA, Pakistan’s move to conduct elections in Gilgit-Baltistan represents an attempt to alter the status of a region that India considers its sovereign territory.
India emphasized that the accession of Jammu & Kashmir to India in 1947 was complete, legal and irrevocable. On that basis, New Delhi maintains that any administrative, political or electoral exercise undertaken by Pakistan in Gilgit-Baltistan lacks legitimacy and has no legal standing from India’s perspective.
The MEA stated that Islamabad’s decision to organize elections cannot change the ground reality regarding India’s territorial claims. The statement underscored that New Delhi rejects all efforts aimed at bringing material changes to areas that it regards as illegally occupied by Pakistan.
In its diplomatic communication, India also accused Pakistan of attempting to use electoral processes to project a sense of normalcy in the region while ignoring deeper concerns. The government alleged that residents of territories under Pakistan’s control continue to face political repression, restrictions on freedoms and economic challenges.
The statement further argued that electoral exercises cannot conceal what India described as persistent governance and human rights concerns in the region. By raising these issues, New Delhi sought to reinforce its contention that Pakistan’s actions are designed to create a veneer of democratic legitimacy without addressing underlying grievances.
India’s response reflects a continuation of its consistent policy regarding Pakistan-occupied territories. Over the years, New Delhi has repeatedly objected to infrastructure projects, constitutional changes, administrative measures and political activities undertaken by Islamabad in areas claimed by India.
Officials indicated that the latest protest is intended to convey India’s firm opposition to any step that could be interpreted as altering the status of the region. The government reiterated that Pakistan has no authority to make decisions affecting territories that India considers part of its sovereign domain.
The latest diplomatic protest highlights the depth of disagreement between India and Pakistan over Gilgit-Baltistan. From New Delhi’s perspective, the planned election is not merely a local political event but a strategic attempt to strengthen Pakistan’s administrative hold over a disputed territory.
India’s statement is significant because it goes beyond a routine objection and directly challenges the legitimacy of Pakistan’s governance framework in the region. By linking the issue to sovereignty, territorial integrity and the 1947 accession of Jammu & Kashmir, New Delhi is signaling that its position remains unchanged despite evolving political developments on the ground.
The language used by the MEA also reflects growing frustration with what India sees as repeated efforts by Pakistan to institutionalize its control over Gilgit-Baltistan. The protest suggests that New Delhi views such actions as attempts to create political facts that could complicate future discussions on the broader Kashmir issue.
At the same time, the statement places Pakistan under diplomatic scrutiny by raising concerns about governance, political freedoms and economic conditions in territories under its administration. Rather than recognizing the elections as a democratic exercise, India portrays them as a political mechanism aimed at legitimizing control over contested territory.
The development is likely to add another layer of tension to already strained India-Pakistan relations. While Islamabad maintains its own position on the status of the region, New Delhi’s strong response makes clear that any move perceived as altering the status of Gilgit-Baltistan will continue to face firm opposition from India on diplomatic and political fronts.
