New Delhi says the region is an integral part of India and rejects Pakistan’s planned assembly elections in the territory.
June 5, 2026: India on Thursday strongly objected to Pakistan’s decision to hold “General Elections” for the so-called Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly on June 7, 2026. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, including Gilgit-Baltistan, are integral and inalienable parts of India. According to New Delhi, this status is based on the legal and irreversible accession of Jammu & Kashmir to India in 1947.
The MEA reiterated that Pakistan has no authority to conduct elections or make any changes in territories that India considers to be under its illegal and forcible occupation. India said it categorically rejects all such attempts and maintained that these actions cannot alter the ground reality or India’s sovereign claim over the region.
India also raised concerns about the situation in Pakistan-occupied territories, accusing Islamabad of human rights violations, political repression, economic exploitation and denial of freedoms. The MEA asserted that Pakistan’s electoral exercise cannot divert attention from these issues and once again called on Islamabad to vacate all territories that remain under its illegal occupation.