New Delhi, Jan. 9 -- Unrest continues to prevail in Gilgit-Baltistan, the Indian mountainous region under Pakistan's illegal occupation, with 2026 beginning on an unsettling note. Political uncertainty has intensified following the postponement of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections, originally scheduled for January 24, 2026, as well as the local bodies' elections set for February 14. No revised dates have been announced, at this writing.

The postponement constitutes a violation of the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order - which came into force in 2009 and through which the government of Pakistan grants a measure of self-rule to the people of the region - and related election laws, which mandate that elections be h...