Institutional Gaps and Constitutional Paradox: The Politics of Empowerment in Gilgit-Baltistan within the Legislative Framework

Abstract

This study critically examines the contradictions and paradoxes of political and legislative empowerment within Gilgit-Baltistan’s legislative framework through the lenses of democratic deficit, centre-periphery relations, and executive governance. Despite a series of significant high-profile governance reforms, including the landmark Empowerment and Self-Governance Order of 2009 and the Government Order of 2018, questions persist regarding the extent of legislative authority exercised by the GB assembly. This study analyses how structural ambiguities within GB's governance frameworks create systemic barriers to local self-governance. Using a qualitative approach, the study draws on 20 semi-structured interviews conducted within a diverse cross-section of GB's political and civil society including politicians, bureaucrats, legal experts, academics and activists. These first-hand perspectives are contextualised through an analysis of historical governance orders, policy documents, and existing academic literature. The findings reveal a stark disconnect: while successive reforms have successfully built new institutions for local representation, the actual concentration of legislative, executive, administrative, and fiscal power remains firmly entrenched at the federal level, leaving the pre-reform status quo virtually unchanged.