Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed officials to accelerate ongoing federal development projects in the controversial Gilgit-Baltistan region and ensure timely release of funds.
Mr. Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain also attended the meeting. Sharif directed the authorities to remove all bottlenecks hindering development projects on a priority basis and ensure effective coordination among the relevant institutions to expedite implementation.
Sharif issued the directions while chairing a meeting in Islamabad on Friday (October 30, 2026) to review the progress of development projects in the region bordering China.
Mr, according to state-run broadcaster Radio Pakistan .
The meeting also reviewed progress on hydropower, infrastructure and solar energy projects in Gilgit-Baltistan. The Prime Minister called for regular monitoring of development projects, particularly those related to the energy sector. A report of a committee constituted in July on the Prime Minister’s directives was also presented at the meeting. It reviewed the status of ongoing federal development projects, hurdles in their implementation and measures needed to ensure their timely completion.
The Prime Minister directed the earliest possible completion of the 100-megawatt solar power project initiated by the federal government for the region. Because of its geographical proximity to China and its position along the route of the CPEC, a flagship infrastructure and connectivity initiative linking China’s Xinjiang region with Pakistan’s Gwadar port, gilgit-Baltistan, located in northern Pakistan, holds strategic importance.
