In 1840 Kashmir’s Dogra ruler, Gulab Singh, expanded Sikh rule towards the north and captured the area of Skardu and Baltistan. However, Gilgit was ruled by a hybrid administration of Dogra and the British. On July 30, 1947, when the British were leaving the subcontinent, they transferred powers to the Dogra ruler. In this way, Gilgit came under the direct control of Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir. In October 1947, on the news of Kashmir’s accession with India by Maharaja of Kashmir, GB scouts revolted against Dogra raj. After a mild resistance, Dogra Governor surrendered to Gilgit Scouts.
On November 1, 1947, Gilgit declared an independent state but it took a year to liberate Baltistan. After a couple of weeks of self-governance, Pakistan took over Gilgit. However, she did not fully integrate it into the state but rather placed it under FCR (Frontier Crimes Regulation(, a colonial rule that the British used to impose on Tribal areas. The reason behind not fully annexation was to secure a vote bank in case of a plebiscite in Kashmir. Local people revolted against FCR, so, in the 1970s Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto abolished FCR, but the region was administered by the center. In 2009 under GB Empowerment and Self Governance Order, some legislative powers were sent to the local GB Assembly, which proceeds till today.
