Pakistan, July 28 -- As political activity gathers pace in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, development has once again become the centrepiece of public debate. Political parties are presenting new visions, new commitments and fresh promises. That is the essence of democracy. But elections should also be moments of reflection. Before asking what the next government will do, it is time to ask what decades of successive governments have achieved and what lessons remain unlearned.

One of those lessons lies to the north, in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The comparison between Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) is both fair and instructive. Both are mountainous regions administered by Pakistan. Both possess extraordinary landscapes, rich cultural ...