Core-Periphery Relationship: The Post-1973 State of Pakistan and Nationalism in Gilgit-Baltistan

Abstract

Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) is a mountainous northern region of Pakistan which got its independence from princely state of Kashmir as a result of a freedom struggle. The region is administered by the federal ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B). It has an ambiguous constitutional status and does not have parliamentary representation which hampers its economic and political development. Successive governments have tried to regulate the problems by introducing reforms but the real transfer of power from centre to G-B has not yet taken place. This situation is exploited by the nationalist parties which accuse Islamabad of meddling in the affairs of G-B. This paper analyzes nationalism in G-B in the light of Paul Brass and Michel Hechter’s theories and examines G-B – Islamabad relationship in the post-1973 period.