Resource information
Parts of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), the
northeastern most administrative region of Pakistan, have
been undergoing a dramatic transformation over the last
three decades. Given the challenging environment, GB's
development outcomes are impressive, built on the
time-tempered resilience of the people of GB and facilitated
by high levels of social capital. GB has also benefitted
from the attentions of the national Government of Pakistan
(GoP) (motivated in no small measure by geopolitical and
national cohesion considerations) and the strong engagement
of civil society organizations (CSOs). The structure of the
report follows the storyline of seeking to overcome the odds
and broaden the transformation, with a review of development
performance to date, a discussion of the main challenges the
GB faces, a set of discussions at the sectoral level (based
on a series of background papers that are available
separately and listed in annex two), and an appraisal of
what it will take to follow through on some key policy
options, in terms of capacity, consultations, political
will, fiscal reforms, and additional resources. The sectoral
narratives are arranged in three groups: sources of private
sector led growth (agriculture, minerals, tourism, and
trade), key public services (social protection, education,
health, and water supply and sanitation) and essential
infrastructure (irrigation, electricity, and transport), all
of which are critical to enhancing development performance.
Meaningful steps and actions that will promote progress in
each sector are identified, separated into those that appear
feasible now, and those that will need to await more
favorable circumstances in the future. The rest of the
executive summary mirrors the structure of the main report,
concluding with a table listing the top 15 policy options
for immediate action and for pursuit over the medium-term
(the full set of policy options is compiled in annex three).
