Pakistan, June 4 -- Gilgit-Baltistan does not need another season of political theatre. After 22 years without elected local bodies, the August 2 schedule should have turned politics towards streets, drains, schools, clinics, markets, tourism and jobs: the daily grammar of governance. Instead, with the Assembly election fast approaching, allegations and counter-allegations are crowding out the only question that should matter: who can deliver stability and development in a region that cannot afford another turn of the wheel?

GB's politics must be read through its geography and administrative reality. This strategic, mountainous region has fragile connectivity, severe winters and large development gaps. Its voters are not naive. They know...