A critical shortage of wheat is causing widespread panic and frustration in Gilgit-Baltistan, with residents increasingly blaming Islamabad for what they term ‘deliberate neglect’. Long lines of people can be seen waiting for hours outside ration depots before sunrise, hoping to secure even a small amount of subsidized wheat, a vital staple during the harsh winter. The availability of this crucial grain has plummeted in recent weeks, making it a daily struggle for families in Gilgit, Skardu, Hunza, and other communities to obtain basic sustenance. Local market prices have soared, placing wheat beyond the financial reach of many.
Residents and various community groups argue that the current shortage is not a mere accident but a consequence of a pattern of neglect. They contend that Gilgit-Baltistan, which already lacks political representation, is also systematically denied timely access to essential commodities. “When resources become scarce, this region is always the first to be affected and the last to recover,” a shopkeeper in Skardu remarked, reflecting a long-held grievance.
The food crisis is exacerbated by ongoing, severe electricity outages that plague the region. Many neighborhoods experience prolonged power blackouts daily, severely disrupting businesses dependent on refrigeration or consistent heating. Students preparing for examinations are forced to study by candlelight, a stark irony given that the region is a major contributor to Pakistan’s hydroelectric power generation. The root of these problems, many believe, lies in the region’s unique administrative status. Operating outside Pakistan’s constitutional framework, Gilgit-Baltistan lacks representation in the National Assembly or Senate and has no access to the Supreme Court. Critical decisions regarding land, water, and revenue are made in distant offices, leaving locals feeling disenfranchised and exploited.
Civil society organizations have highlighted that the severity of the wheat shortage this winter could have been prevented with prompt action from federal authorities. Local administrations had issued multiple warnings regarding insufficient supplies. However, residents claim that officials offered only routine reassurances and cited transport delays as the cause, rather than increasing wheat shipments. The worsening shortages have led to public demonstrations, with citizens holding placards and demanding the restoration of subsidized supplies and transparency in distribution. Many elderly residents have expressed deep concern, recalling that such severe food scarcity was uncommon even in past difficult winters.
Protesters often link the food crisis to a wider set of grievances against Islamabad, including land acquisition for infrastructure projects without fair compensation, the export of hydropower while local communities remain without power, and major development projects being initiated without local input. They view this as evidence of a governance system that treats Gilgit-Baltistan as a peripheral entity, disregarding its strategic and economic importance. For the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, the immediate priority is securing enough wheat to survive. With winter’s grip tightening and no clear government plan in sight, there are growing fears that the crisis will intensify. Residents express weariness of being told to be patient, believing that these recurrent shortages point to a fundamental issue: a region rich in natural resources is struggling for basic food due to its limited influence in national decision-making.