The Government of Gilgit-Baltistan () is the government of the administrative territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018, which superseded the 2009 Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order,An Order (Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order) , GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN, MINISTRY OF KASHMIR AFFAIRS AND NORTHERN AREAS, 9 September 2009 according to which ten districts come under its authority and jurisdiction. The government includes the cabinet, selected from members the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, and the non-political civil staff within each department. The province is governed by a unicameral legislature with the head of government known as the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister, invariably the leader of a political party represented in the Assembly, selects members of the cabinet. The Chief Minister and cabinet are thus responsible the functioning of government and are entitled to remain in office so long as it maintains the confidence of the elected Assembly. The head of state of the province is known as the Governor. The terms Government of Gilgit-Baltistan or Gilgit-Baltistan Government are interchangeably used in official documents. The seat of government is in Gilgit, thus serving as the capital of the territory.

History

Background Following the first Kashmir war, the control of the territory now comprising Gilgit-Baltistan was transferred to the federal government in 1949 by the provisional government of Azad Kashmir set up by Pakistan. According to Pakistani analyst Ershad Mahmud, there were two reasons why administration was transferred: the region was inaccessible from Azad Kashmir, and because both the governments of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan were aware that the people of the region were in favour of joining Pakistan in a potential referendum over Kashmir's final status. The Indian journalist Paul Sahni sees this as an effort by Pakistan to legitimise its rule over Gilgit-Baltistan.

In August 1972, the Gilgit Agency, Baltistan — which, alongside Indian-administered Ladakh was formerly of the Ladakh Wazarat — and the hill states of Hunza and Nagar were amalgamated to form the Federally Administered Northern Areas, or Northern Areas for short. The territory was renamed Gilgit-Baltistan and granted self-government in 2009.

According to the International Crisis Group, the Karachi Agreement remains highly unpopular in Gilgit-Baltistan as Gilgit-Baltistan was not a party to it, even while it was its own fate was being decided. Following it and until 1970s, the Northern Areas were regulated by the Frontier Crimes Regulations; set up in colonial period, they treated tribal people harshly, levying collective fines and punishments. People had no right to legal representation or appeal. Members of tribes had to obtain prior permission from the police to travel anywhere, and had to keep the police informed about their movements. The people of Gilgit-Baltistan were deprived of rights enjoyed by citizens of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. A position of 'Deputy Chief Executive' was created to act as the local administrator, but the real powers still rested with the 'Chief Executive', who was the Federal Minister of KANA. "The secretaries were more powerful than the concerned advisors," in the words of one commentator. In spite of various reforms packages over the years, the situation is essentially unchanged. Meanwhile, public rage in Gilgit-Baltistan "[grew] alarmingly." Prominent "antagonist groups" have mushroomed protesting the absence of civic rights and democracy. The Pakistani government has debated granting provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan.

A primary reason for this state of affairs was the remoteness of Gilgit-Baltistan. Another factor was that the whole of Pakistan itself was deficient in democratic norms and principles, therefore the federal government did not prioritise democratic development in the region. There was also a lack of public pressure as an active civil society was absent in the region, with young educated residents usually opting to live in Pakistan's urban centers instead of staying in the region. The Government of Pakistan abolished State Subject Rule in Gilgit-Baltistan in 1974, which had prevented people from outside Gilgit Baltistan to buy land in the territory. In 1993, an attempt was made by the High Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to annex Gilgit-Baltistan but was quashed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan after protests by the locals of Gilgit-Baltistan, who feared domination by the Kashmiris. In 1994, a Legal Framework Order (LFO) was created by the KANA Ministry to serve as the de facto constitution for the region.

In the late 1990s, the President of Al-Jihad Trust filed a petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan to determine the legal status of Gilgit-Baltistan. In its judgement of 28 May 1999, the Court directed the Government of Pakistan to ensure the provision of equal rights to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, and gave it six months to do so. Following the Supreme Court decision, the government took several steps to devolve power to the local level. However, in several policy circles, the point was raised that the Pakistani government was helpless to comply with the court verdict because of the strong political and sectarian divisions in Gilgit-Baltistan and also because of the territory's historical connection with the still disputed Kashmir region, and that this prevented the determination of Gilgit-Baltistan's real status.

Gilgit-Baltistan has been a member state of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization since 2008. According to Antia Mato Bouzas, the PPP-led Pakistani government has attempted a compromise through its 2009 reforms between its traditional stand on the Kashmir dispute and the demands of locals, most of whom may have pro-Pakistan sentiments. While the 2009 reforms have added to the self-identification of the region, they have not resolved the constitutional status of the region within Pakistan.

As relayed by 2010 news reports, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan desire representation as a separate province within Pakistan. In July 2015, the then Prime Minister of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), Chaudhry Abdul Majid, opposed the move, preferring instead integration within a Kashmir province. Many of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan have, however, expressed desires for Pakistani citizenship and a constitutional status for their region as distinct from Kashmir.

Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order 2009 While administratively controlled by Pakistan since 1947, Gilgit-Baltistan has not yet been formally integrated into the Pakistani federation state and does not participate in constitutional political affairs. On 29 August 2009, the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order 2009 was passed by the Government of Pakistan and later signed by the President. The order granted self-rule to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, by creating, among other things, an elected Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly and a Gilgit-Baltistan Council. Gilgit-Baltistan thus gained de facto province-like status without constitutionally becoming part of Pakistan.

The Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018 In 2018, the federal cabinet passed The Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018, which notably relegated the roles formally exercised by the Gilgit-Baltistan Council to the elected Assembly, although it still delegated much executive powers to the office of Prime Minister of Pakistan.

The 26th Amendment for the Provisional Provincial status In September 2020, the then Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan announced that Gilgit-Baltistan would attain provisional provincial status after the 2020 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly election.

The Law Ministry of Pakistan recently finalised the draft of the 26th Amendment to the Constitution, submitting it to the prime minister for review. The proposed legislation is aimed at awarding GB provisional provincial status, and is expected to be presented in parliament for debate. If passed by a two-thirds majority in parliament, Gilgit-Baltistan would likely be given the status of province through an amendment in Article 1 of the Constitution. The 26th Amendment would empower Gilgit-Baltistan as per the other provinces of Pakistan without jeopardizing Pakistan's stance about the Kashmir conflict.

As of now the work on the legislation about the provisional provincial status has been slowed down due to the recent political unrest in Pakistan.

Executive The government of Gilgit Baltistan consists of an elected body, with the Governor as the constitutional head. The Chief Minister is elected by the Assembly to serve as the head of the provincial government in Gilgit-Baltistan. Whereas, the Chief Secretary, Gilgit-Baltistan is usually an officer of grade BPS-21 or 22 from the Pakistan Administrative Service, who acts as an administrative head of the Gilgit-Baltistan.

Departments

The Executive consists of several departments. Each or two of these departments mix up to form a ministry. Each of the ministry is headed by the elected minister or a technocrat appointed by the Chief Minister and a provincial secretary of BPS-20 grade officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service. Home & Prisons Department Finance Department Law and Prosecution Department Services and General Administration, Information and Cabinet Department Revenue, Usher and Zakat, Excise and Taxation and Cooperative Department Food and Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Department Forest, Wildlife and Environment Department Education, Social Welfare and Women Development Health and Population Welfare Department Works Department Local Government, Rural Development and Census Department Water and Power Department Tourism, Sports, Culture and Youth Department Mineral Development, Industries, Commerce & Labour Department Planning and Development Department

Cabinet

Amjad Hussain Azar took oath as the Chief Minister on 6 July 2026. On 22 July, his recommendations for the cabinet was approved by the Governor and the Assembly issued a formal notification. +NamePortfolioPartyConstituencyFromAmjad Hussain AzarChief Minister of Gilgit-BaltistanPPPGilgit-I6 July 2026Muhammad Ali AkhtarFinancePPPGBA-4 Nagar-I27 July 2026Iqbal HassanHealthPPPGBA-11 Kharmang27 July 2026Raja Nasir Ali Khan MaqpoonForests, Wildlife, Parks, and Environment Agriculture, Fisheries, and Animal HusbandryPPPGBA-10 Skardu-IV27 July 2026Syed Jalal Ali ShahPlanning and DevelopmentPPPGBA-19 Ghizer-I27 July 2026Muhammad NaseemCommunication and WorksPPPGBA-17 Diamer-III27 July 2026Syed Tauqeer MehdiTBDPPPGBA-7 Skardu-I5 August 2026Naik Nam KarimTourism, Sports, Culture, and HeritagePPPGBA-6 Hunza27 July 2026Syed Sohail Abbas ShahLocal Government and Rural DevelopmentMQM-PGBA-5 Nagar-II31 August 2026Muhammad DilpazirTBDIPPGBA-15 Diamer-I5 August 2026Aman AliTBDIPPGBA-21 Ghizer-III5 August 2026Asad ShafiqTBDIPPGBA-24 Ghanche-III5 August 2026Anwar AliTBDIPPGBA-23 Ghanche-II5 August 2026

Legislature

The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly is a 33-seat unicameral legislative body. It has 24 directly elected members, 6 reserved seats are for women and 3 reserved seats are for technocrats. The current Assembly is the fourth elected assembly of the region, that came into being as a result of the 2026 Gilgit Baltistan Assembly election.