India protests Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan election

India has formally protested Pakistan's plan to hold general elections in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, which New Delhi asserts is Indian territory under illegal occupation. The diplomatic protest was lodged on Friday, objecting to elections scheduled for June 7, 2026, for a regional assembly.

In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs reiterated its position that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, are an integral part of India. The government stated this status is based on the complete, legal, and irrevocable accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India in 1947. Officials emphasized that such electoral exercises by Pakistan cannot mask what India described as underlying issues in the region.

The statement further accused Pakistan of grave human rights violations, political repression, economic exploitation, and denial of freedom in territories it illegally occupies. India categorically rejected any attempts by Pakistan to bring material changes to these areas and underlined that Pakistan must vacate Indian territories.

A retired Indian ambassador, Yashvardhan Sinha, characterized the planned elections as a farcical...