PUBLIC PERCEPTION TOWARDS THE MYTH OF CONSTITUTIONAL STATUS OF GILGIT BALTISTAN

Purpose: The key purpose of this study is to answer the questions about the primary hurdles in determining and delaying the constitutional status, as well as ambiguities, reservations, demands, and desires among the youth of Gilgit Baltistan (GB). Method: The primary, as well as secondary sources are used to answer the research questions. Questionnaire survey and focus group discussions are used to collect the primary data and the secondary data is collected from different published sources. The number of respondents was One Hundred Ninety and conducted three focus group discussions. All analyses were performed by using the latest version of SPSS. Main Findings: This study finds out that the primary hurdle in determining and delaying the constitutional status of Gilgit Baltistan is its historical facts, Kashmir dispute, leadership crisis in GB, undesirable role of Kashmiri leader, and the non-serious behavior of Islamabad and its institution. Furthermore, undefined constitutional status creates uncertainty, ambiguity, sub-nationalism, and fear among youth. Application of the study: The result will provide a guideline in policy-making regarding Gilgit Baltistan and it provides a new direction for new researchers. Originality of the study: The research identifies the primary hurdles in determining and delaying the constitutional status of GB as well as explores the demands and desires of the youth of GB.