Ahsan Orders Roadmap For GB Fiscal Reforms, Hydropower Push At PM Review Committee

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday directed the formulation of time-bound proposals on fiscal reforms, hydropower development and expedited execution of development projects in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB)

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Aug, 2026) Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday directed the formulation of time-bound proposals on fiscal reforms, hydropower development and expedited execution of development projects in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

He passed these directives while chairing a meeting of the Prime Minister's Review Committee, aimed at ensuring the region's long-term sustainable growth, a news release said.

The committee, constituted on the directions of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, reviewed key financial, governance and development issues relating to Gilgit-Baltistan, including long-term fiscal sustainability, hydropower development, power sector reforms, climate resilience, digital connectivity, public service delivery and development priorities.

The meeting decided to finalize its recommendations for submission to the prime minister after detailed deliberations on the region's development and governance challenges.

A major focus of the meeting was the development of a transparent resource-sharing mechanism for Gilgit-Baltistan based on the principles of the National Finance Commission (NFC) to ensure a fair, equitable and predictable system of fiscal transfers.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan Iqbal endorsed the development of an NFC-based financial framework for Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

He directed the constitution of a committee comprising the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, the Leader of the Opposition in the GB Assembly, the Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, the Attorney General for Pakistan, and representatives of the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Law and Justice, and Inter-Provincial Coordination to examine the proposed framework.

The committee has been tasked with submitting its recommendations within one month for consideration by the prime minister.

The meeting was informed that the longstanding issue of wheat subsidy for Gilgit-Baltistan had been resolved and that the federal government continued to extend subsidy support to the region.

Participants also reviewed the stabilization package for Gilgit-Baltistan and were informed that federal budgetary support for the region had increased by 87 per cent since 2022. Representatives of the Gilgit-Baltistan government appreciated the federal government's continued support for the region's development.

The meeting was told that development allocations for Gilgit-Baltistan under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) had increased steadily from Rs132.

851 billion in FY2024-25 to Rs150.4 billion in FY2025-26 and further to Rs157.5 billion in FY2026-27.

The committee also reviewed challenges confronting the region's power sector, including electricity shortages, demand-supply gaps and transmission constraints.

Participants discussed the need for a regional transmission grid, stronger representation of Gilgit-Baltistan in national energy institutions and enhanced connectivity with the national grid to improve the reliability of electricity supply.

The planning minister said work on the Regional Grid Gilgit-Baltistan Phase-I project, approved in FY2023 at a cost of Rs9.1 billion, was progressing steadily and would significantly improve power transmission across the region.

He added that another project involving distributed solar photovoltaic plants with a cumulative capacity of 100 megawatts peak (MWp), costing Rs24.9 billion, had been launched in FY2025 to help overcome electricity shortages in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Ahsan Iqbal also directed the formation of a committee under the secretary of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives to review the status of ongoing development projects in the region, identify implementation bottlenecks and recommend measures for their timely completion.

The committee discussed Gilgit-Baltistan's vast hydropower potential and agreed that the region could generate its own revenues by attracting private investment under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework.

The planning minister directed the Power Division and the Ministry of Water Resources to lead another committee to prepare recommendations for accelerating hydropower development through the PPP model by mobilizing private investment in strategic hydropower and renewable energy projects.

Despite fiscal constraints, the federal government continued to allocate substantial resources for Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the merged districts, Ahsan Iqbal said, noting that the federal PSDP had declined from around Rs1 trillion in 2018 to about Rs800 billion in recent years.

The meeting reaffirmed the federal government's commitment to promoting sustainable and inclusive development in Gilgit-Baltistan through institutional reforms, enhanced fiscal sustainability, infrastructure development, improved connectivity and effective utilization of the region's natural and economic potential.