This article is not built on slogans or political rhetoric. It is built on data. It examines the numbers behind Pakistan’s largest province and its strategically critical northern region how much land they occupy, how many natural resources they hold, how they compare on literacy, poverty, representation, security, and development, and why unrest has persisted for decades. Every major claim in this report is backed by government records, international organizations, conflict databases, or human rights documentation, allowing readers to judge the facts for themselves.

Balochistan: Resource-Rich, Development-Poor

Balochistan covers 347,190 sq. km, making up 44% of Pakistan’s land area, but has only 15.0 million people (2023 Census)—about 6% of Pakistan’s population. It has the country’s lowest literacy rate (about 42%), compared with Pakistan’s national literacy rate of roughly 60%.

Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (2023 Census), Pakistan Economic Survey

The province holds approximately 40–45% of Pakistan’s natural gas reserves, major copper and gold deposits (Reko Diq), large coal reserves, and Gwadar Port, one of South Asia’s strategic deep-sea ports. Despite this, Balochistan contributes a relatively small share of Pakistan’s GDP and remains among its poorest provinces.

Source: Ministry of Energy (Pakistan), Geological Survey of Pakistan, World Bank

Security and Conflict

Since 1948, Balochistan has experienced five major insurgencies, with the latest phase beginning in the early 2000s. The South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) has recorded thousands of conflict-related deaths, including civilians, militants, and security personnel over the course of the insurgency.

Source: South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP)

Enforced Disappearances

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED) has registered more than 10,000 disappearance cases nationwide since its establishment, with Balochistan accounting for hundreds of active cases in recent years. Rights organizations argue the actual number is significantly higher.

Source: Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED)

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) reported 752 alleged enforced disappearances in the first half of 2025, while the Pakistani government’s commission recorded 36 new cases from Balochistan during the same period, illustrating the large gap between official and activist figures.

Source: Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED)

State Violence, Killings & Enforced Disappearances

Balochistan has witnessed Pakistan’s longest-running internal conflict. Since the early 2000s, more than 9,000 to 10,000 people, including civilians, militants, and security personnel, have been killed in conflict-related violence. Human rights organizations have documented allegations of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and arbitrary detentions, while the Pakistani government maintains that its security operations are aimed at combating armed insurgent groups.

Source: South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR)

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED) has registered more than 10,000 disappearance cases across Pakistan since its establishment, with Balochistan accounting for one of the highest numbers of active cases. Human rights groups and families of the missing contend that the true number is significantly higher than official records.

Source: Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED), Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)

In Gilgit Baltistan, there is no comparable long-term record of large-scale conflict-related killings. However, rights organizations have reported periodic crackdowns on protests, arrests of political activists, preventive detentions, and restrictions on freedom of expression, particularly during demonstrations over land rights, taxation, and constitutional status.

Source: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Amnesty International, International Crisis Group

Human Rights Allegations

The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR), Amnesty International, and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) have documented allegations of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture, restrictions on peaceful assembly, and extrajudicial killings. Pakistan rejects allegations of systematic abuse and says its operations target militant organizations.

Source: OHCHR, Amnesty International, HRCP, Government of Pakistan

Federal Investment vs Local Demands

The federal government has invested billions of rupees in projects linked to the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), including Gwadar Port, highways, and energy infrastructure. Baloch nationalist groups argue that local employment and revenue-sharing have not kept pace with the scale of these investments.

Source: Government of Pakistan, CPEC Authority, World Bank

Gilgit-Baltistan

Gilgit-Baltistan covers approximately 72,500 sq. km with a population of about 1.7–2.0 million people. The region contains five of the world’s fourteen peaks above 8,000 metres, including K2 (8,611 m), and more than 7,000 glaciers, making it one of the world’s largest glacier systems outside the polar regions.

Source: Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

The region has an estimated literacy rate of around 72%, significantly higher than Balochistan’s, but residents have long argued for stronger constitutional rights. Gilgit-Baltistan is administered through its own assembly and government, but it does not have the same constitutional status as Pakistan’s provinces.

Source: Pakistan Economic Survey, Government of Pakistan

Economic Importance

Gilgit-Baltistan is central to the Karakoram Highway and serves as Pakistan’s land gateway to China. It has significant hydropower potential estimated at over 40,000 MW, while tourism attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors in active travel seasons. Local groups argue that a larger share of economic returns from tourism, hydropower, and infrastructure should remain within the region.

Source: Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, World Bank

Comparison at a Glance

Area: Balochistan – 347,190 sq. km | Gilgit-Baltistan – 72,500 sq. km
Population: Balochistan – 15.0 million | Gilgit-Baltistan – 1.7–2.0 million
Literacy: Balochistan – ~42% | Gilgit-Baltistan – ~72%
Major Resources: Balochistan – Natural gas, copper, gold, coal, Gwadar Port | Gilgit-Baltistan – Hydropower, tourism, glaciers, minerals
Primary Political Issue: Balochistan – Insurgency and resource distribution | Gilgit-Baltistan – Constitutional status and political representation

Sources: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Pakistan Economic Survey, World Bank, Ministry of Energy (Pakistan), Geological Survey of Pakistan, South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED), OHCHR, HRCP, Amnesty International.

Voices of Resistance

Several activists from Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan have emerged as prominent voices calling for justice, greater autonomy, or independence. Their campaigns have brought international attention to allegations of enforced disappearances, political repression, and constitutional rights.

Dr. Mahrang Baloch, leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has become one of the most recognized faces of the Baloch rights movement. She has repeatedly stated, “There can be no peace without justice,” while demanding accountability for alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

Source: TIME Magazine, Amnesty International

Sammi Deen Baloch, General Secretary of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), has spent years campaigning for families of the disappeared. Her central message has remained consistent: “We only want to know where our missing family members are.” She has raised the issue before international human rights forums and the United Nations.

Source: Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), United Nations forums

Sabiha Baloch has advocated for political rights, justice for victims’ families, and peaceful civic mobilization. She has argued that lasting peace in Balochistan requires accountability and respect for fundamental rights.

Source: Amnesty International, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)

Mir Yar Baloch, a Baloch nationalist activist, openly supports an independent Balochistan. He has appealed to the United Nations and the international community to recognize Balochistan’s right to self-determination, declaring that “Balochistan is not Pakistan.”

Source: United Nations submissions, international media interviews

In Gilgit-Baltistan, Abdul Hamid Khan, founder of the Balawaristan National Front (BNF), historically advocated self-determination for the region, arguing that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan should decide their own political future. He later renounced separatist politics after returning to Pakistan.

Source: Balawaristan National Front (BNF), Government of Pakistan records

Another prominent voice is Amjad Ayub Mirza, a rights activist originally from Pakistan-administered Kashmir, who has repeatedly alleged human rights violations in Gilgit-Baltistan and called for greater international attention to the region’s constitutional and political issues.

Source: Times of India interviews, international media statements

Note: The views expressed above are those of the respective activists and organizations. The Pakistani government rejects many allegations of systematic human rights abuses and maintains that its security operations are directed against armed militant groups and are conducted to preserve national security and public order.

Source: Government of Pakistan