Gilgit-Baltistan’s development future hangs in the balance as the region’s throw-forward liabilities have surged to 8 times its annual development budget, raising fears that critical projects may grind to a halt.
Under the Empowerment and Self-Governance Order of 2009, GB enjoys a provincial setup but remains outside Pakistan’s NFC Award and key financial bodies due to constitutional constraints.
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The region, spread across 72,000 square kilometers with a population of nearly 2 million, relies on federal grants. For the ongoing fiscal year 2025–26, GB received Rs. 21 billion from Islamabad for development out of a total budget of Rs. 148 billion.
On 10th September, the GB Finance Minister Engineer Muhammad Ismail revealed before the Assembly that the throw-forward, future financial commitments of ongoing projects, has already reached Rs. 151 billion. With only Rs. 21 billion available annually, the minister said the province is barely keeping projects alive: “Almost 80% of the budget goes into ongoing schemes, leaving only 20% for new initiatives. At this pace, our contractors will remain unpaid, and projects will become sick.”
The Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution demanding that the federal government increase GB’s development budget by at least 40% this year, warning that without urgent intervention, progress in infrastructure, health, and education will stall.
Local voices say the issue is not just about budget numbers but about long-term sustainability. With federal grants failing to keep pace with GB’s growing needs, concerns are mounting over how the region will finance roads, hospitals, schools, and energy projects in the years ahead.
The resolution reflects a broader frustration in GB: a growing development backlog, unmet promises. All eyes are on Islamabad to see whether the call for greater resources will be met, or whether Gilgit-Baltistan’s ambitions will remain frozen in throw-forward figures.
