Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) is facing increasing public concern over delays in key development projects. Many local communities report that essential services, including electricity, internet, and mobile networks, are frequently disrupted, affecting daily life and economic activity. Prolonged project timelines and cost overruns have contributed to frustration among residents, prompting demonstrations and calls for improved transparency and timely delivery of public services. Projects managed by military-affiliated companies have experienced significant delays, which has led to growing demands for accountability and more effective project management in the region.
In early 2025, residents of Hunza Valley blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH), the key trade route between Pakistan and China, to protest extreme power outages. They reported power blackouts lasting up to 20 hours a day. Protesters demanded that the government either operationalize thermal generators or speed up stalled hydropower projects in the region. The demonstration continued for several days despite frigid winter conditions, which affected trade and tourism, stranding cargo trucks and tourists alike for weeks.
The anger and frustration among people are not limited to just one valley in PoGB. As of mid-2025, lawmakers in the local assembly acknowledged that many areas in the region experienced 8 to 12 hours of unscheduled outages daily. Opposition members pointed out that the chronic energy crisis, rather than being confined to winter, now stretches through summer. That, they argue, reflects deeper mismanagement and not just seasonal problems. The region has been promised several major development projects, including hydroelectric dams, due to sufficient water availability, but most households in PoGB remain cold and dark.
Consequently, out of sheer helplessness and frustration, local reactions have gone beyond protests. For example, households in Skardu and Hunza are now installing solar power systems, reducing their dependence on the failing hydropower grid. This shift reflects both necessity and adaptability, but also highlights how little faith people have in the Pakistani state’s ability to solve their fundamental problems.
Much of the public anger centers on the fact that many stalled power and infrastructure projects in GB were awarded to firms owned by the Pakistani military or the security establishment. Locals claim these companies receive major contracts without open competition or a proper tender process. Meanwhile, regional and local contractors rarely get a chance. One commonly heard complaint in PoGB is: “We pay taxes and yet we remain in dark.”
In some cases, contracts reportedly shift hands: a military-owned firm wins a big contract and resells it shortly afterward to a known private company. PoGB-based civil society activists argue that this creates a network of profiteers insulated from public scrutiny. Because there is little transparency, it is hard to verify all claims. Still, the repeated pattern of delays, cost overruns, and poor delivery shows a systemic problem in Islamabad’s mishandling of the occupied region.
Residents complain that millions, sometimes billions of rupees, are spent on projects, yet electricity remains irregular. Basic needs like heating or warming water become a daily challenge in high-altitude, cold valleys. Businesses struggle massively, and tourism, a vital part of the local economy, suffers badly during peak seasons. All these factors contribute to the region’s losing trust in Pakistan’s military institutions.
Furthermore, the social and economic fallout of this abject governance failure is deep in PoGB. Families struggle to cook, heat their homes, or light their rooms. Schools and clinics often remain closed or operate only a few hours a day. Mobile phones and 4G internet, critical for connectivity in remote valleys, frequently go off during load-shedding. That increases isolation and hurts opportunities for work, education, or basic communication in the region. When protesters express outrage, local authorities rarely issue clear timelines or explanations.
Meanwhile, this inconvenience has economic ripple effects. Traders along the KKH, including small businesses, hotels, and transporters, suffer huge losses when roads are blocked. Tourists depart early or skip visits to PoGB entirely. Freight trucks get stranded, delaying supplies to and from remote areas. The disruption undermines livelihoods and erodes the already fragile economic base of these remote areas.
Beyond economic loss, the protests reflect deeper grievances: a sense of being left behind, ignored, or exploited by the Pakistan military and federal government in Islamabad. Protests in Hunza, Nagar, Diamer, and other districts have involved diverse social groups, including women, traders, laborers, and civil society activists. They blame the Pakistani state or military-linked firms for treating PoGB as a resource pool rather than a community whose basic obligations must be met.
At the heart of the unrest is the demand for accountability. People want transparent contracting, fair tendering, and timely project completion. They want every rupee spent to translate into reliable electricity, functioning internet, and consistent public services. In a region that borders major trade routes with China, KKH, a key artery to CPEC, and hosts strategic projects, these are only foundational demands.
In recent years, the military-affiliated National Logistics Cell (NLC) has reportedly taken over projects such as the water supply scheme in Hunza and the Tangier Expressway, later transferring them to private firms. This practice has drawn criticism from local communities in Gilgit-Baltistan. Similarly, the contract for the Naltar Valley hydroelectric power plant, awarded to Heavy Mechanical Complex Taxila in 2005, remains incomplete, with costs rising from 4 billion rupees to 16 billion rupees. These delays and cost increases have contributed to growing frustration among residents, who continue to face challenges in accessing reliable electricity and other essential services.
Such cases highlight broader concerns about project management and local participation in the region. Delays in delivering stable power, infrastructure, and economic opportunities have fueled public dissatisfaction, increasing demands for transparency, accountability, and more effective governance in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
Users of Меҳмон are not allowed to comment this publication.
