Shehbaz orders fast-tracking of Gilgit-Baltistan projects and early completion of 100MW solar scheme ahead of expected 1 November visit
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed ministries to accelerate federal development projects in Gilgit-Baltistan, ensure timely funding and finish the 100-megawatt solar project at the earliest, ahead of an expected visit on 1 November.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered federal ministries and departments to speed up development work in Gilgit-Baltistan, pressing for the earliest possible completion of a 100-megawatt solar power project and the timely release of funds for schemes already under way in the northern region.
The directions were given at a review meeting in Islamabad on Friday, where officials examined the progress of federally funded projects in Gilgit-Baltistan and the obstacles that have slowed them down. Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain attended the meeting, according to the Prime Minister's Office.
A committee set up in July on the prime minister's instructions presented a report to the meeting. It set out the current state of ongoing federal projects, the hurdles holding them back and the steps needed to finish them on schedule, forming the basis for the fresh push for faster delivery.
Energy dominated the discussion. Alongside the 100-megawatt solar scheme, the meeting reviewed hydropower and infrastructure projects and the completion of the Naltar power project, which has been supported with Chinese funding. The prime minister directed that energy projects in particular face regular monitoring so that residents feel the benefit as soon as possible.
Officials were told to remove bottlenecks on a priority basis and to strengthen coordination between institutions, rather than letting schemes stall between departments. The prime minister also stressed that money for the projects must reach them on time, a point that has repeatedly affected construction schedules in remote and mountainous areas.
The meeting also looked beyond bricks, cables and turbines. Discussions covered the expansion of digital infrastructure across the region and measures to strengthen counterterrorism capabilities, reflecting both the development agenda and the security considerations that shape work in a border region close to China.
Gilgit-Baltistan's geography explains why energy and connectivity carry such weight. The region sits at the northern edge of Pakistan, bordering China, and forms part of the route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor linking Xinjiang with the port of Gwadar. Reliable power and better infrastructure are therefore presented by Islamabad not only as local services but as part of a wider economic corridor.
The timing of the announcement is also significant. The prime minister is expected to visit Gilgit-Baltistan on 1 November to join commemorations marking the region's liberation from Dogra rule in 1947 and its subsequent accession to Pakistan, an anniversary the meeting formally paid tribute to.
That history remains contested. India disputes Pakistan's administration of Gilgit-Baltistan, a position reflected in international reporting of the meeting, and the region's final status remains part of the wider Kashmir dispute. Friday's meeting, however, focused squarely on administration and delivery rather than on that diplomatic argument.
For residents, the test of the new directions will be practical: whether the solar project and the hydropower schemes move from review meetings to completed capacity, whether funds arrive when promised, and whether digital services reach valleys where winter conditions already strain existing networks.
The prime minister reaffirmed that developing Gilgit-Baltistan, providing basic facilities to its people and improving living standards remain among the federal government's priorities. With a visit expected within a day, attention will now turn to what is announced on the ground in Gilgit-Baltistan itself, and whether the accelerated timetable survives contact with the region's terrain, weather and funding cycles.
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