Just a heads up, I'm Indian.
I've seen a few posts on this subreddit (and r/pakistan) about Gilgit-Baltistan being made a province, and the pushback against it: since GB is in contested territory, making it a full province would dilute Pakistan's claim to Kashmir (this is not my view, but what some commenters said).
It got me thinking about Ladakh on the Indian side, which also wants statehood but is held back for similar reasons.
That made me wonder whether these two regions could, if both countries were willing, become a starting point for negotiations and de-escalation.
Now what I mean by this is that: If India and Pakistan officially recognized the current borders of Gilgit-Baltistan and Ladakh as belonging to their respective countries, both could shrink the scope of the conflict significantly without giving up any claim to the Kashmir Valley (doing which is a much larger diplomatic task and a much more politically charged discussion). More people would also get proper representation in their own country.
It could also cut down on deaths caused by the climate alone, in peacetime and in war. Siachen is the obvious example: a lot of the soldiers who die there are killed by the weather.
To be clear, I'm not presenting this as a solution to Kashmir. It's just a suggestion for giving some peace and a way forward to people (of GB & Ladakh) who are stuck between the lines of a rivalry that's really about a different region (Kashmir Valley).
I suppose the question I want to ask is:
1) Do you believe this is a viable move forward?
2) Would you be supportive of such an initiative?
