Bilawal vows land and job rights for G-B, stresses value of digital connectivity

Seeks decisive mandate in G-B polls, says digital connectivity key to unlocking economic potential of region

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Web Desk June 05, 2026 4 min read

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addresses an election rally in Gilgit on Friday. SCREENGRAB

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Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday renewed his pledge to secure land ownership and employment rights for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), while promising to expand digital connectivity and modern internet infrastructure to create economic opportunities and empower the region's youth.

Addressing an election rally in Gilgit on the final day of campaigning for the June 7 G-B elections, Bilawal urged PPP workers to ensure the protection of Form-45s, saying the party would not allow anyone to usurp its mandate.

“You have to make arrangements for Form-45 because we will not allow anyone to rob the Pakistan Peoples Party of its right,” he told party supporters.

Referring to the PPP’s election manifesto, Bilawal said the party wanted to secure the right to self-governance for the people of G-B and would continue to stand by them in that struggle.

“We want to secure the right to self-governance for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, and the PPP stands with you in this struggle, which has continued for three generations,” he said.

Criticising the current G-B government over rising unemployment, Bilawal said that two governments had come to power in the region since the PPP’s tenure, but no recruitments had been made during that period.

He said that if voted into power after the June 7 elections, the PPP would reopen the recruitment process and fill all vacant positions on merit.

“If we truly unlock the potential of this region, we will not only be able to provide jobs to the youth here but also create opportunities for economic growth and employment for young people across Pakistan,” he said, adding that the region could prove to be the “Koh-i-Noor” of Pakistan’s economy.

Advocating the use of modern technology, Bilawal said communication and digital infrastructure were more important than roads, arguing that digital connectivity should be prioritised before investing in other infrastructure projects.

“If there is digital connectivity, every child will be able to connect digitally from home and conduct business through a mobile phone. Only through digital connectivity can we open G-B’s economy to the modern era,” he said.

He pledged to make every effort to provide the region with the latest optical fibre infrastructure to ensure high-quality digital connectivity in every village and district.

“If it is not possible through optical fibre from China, and we have to talk to the United States about providing the satellite-based Starlink internet service to the people of G-B, then we will try to make those arrangements,” Bilawal said.

He added that substantial investment in digital infrastructure would be required if the region were to harness its potential fully.

“We have to invest in digital infrastructure so that we can fulfil our promise of ‘Haq-i-Rozgar’ for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said.

Bilawal said that if the people of G-B wanted to secure their Haq-i-Milkiyat (right to ownership of land), they should ensure the PPP's victory in the June 7 elections.

“Others may be participating in these elections for their own interests, but I am taking part in this election to secure your right to self-governance, your right to employment and to continue the struggle for your right to ownership of land,” he said.

He appealed to the people of G-B to hand the PPP a decisive mandate, saying it would enable the party to secure its right to ownership and ensure that it could possess land of its own.

Bilawal said that during the previous elections, he had toured the entire region and had wanted to take First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari across G-B, but circumstances were different this time.

He said the entire Muslim world was currently facing a test.

“The situation in Gaza, Palestine, is before everyone. The situation in Lebanon is before you. The situation in Arab countries is before you, and what is happening with Iran is also before you,” he said.

“In these circumstances, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan will have to decide who they want to represent them,” he added.

Crediting the country's strong defence capabilities to PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Bilawal said the former prime minister had made Pakistan's defence impregnable by giving the country the atomic bomb.

“Today, the world is going through a test, but no one can cast an evil eye on Pakistan because Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gifted this country the atomic bomb, and that atomic bomb continues to defend Pakistan today,” the PPP chairman said.

Bilawal also credited President Asif Ali Zardari for the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, describing it as an even bigger decision than the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He further praised Zardari’s decision to shut down foreign military bases in Pakistan, calling it an even greater achievement.

“When Zardari became president for the first time, he not only ensured that all those bases were closed but also bid farewell to our guests with great respect. It is because of that historic decision that Pakistan remains secure today,” he added.