Gilgit-Baltistan Budget 2026-27: Rs 44,000 Minimum Wage Announced, Not Yet Notified

Workers in Gilgit-Baltistan have been promised a higher minimum wage of Rs 44,000 a month, up from Rs 40,000, according to reports of the budget. It is announced, not yet notified. That is the headline for ordinary households in the Gilgit-Baltistan budget 2026-27, a Rs 218.845 billion plan presented in the GB Assembly on Tuesday 15 September 2026. The assembly approved it later that week, according to state media on 19 September.

The budget also keeps Rs 22 billion for the wheat subsidy that holds down flour prices in the region, and proposes a pay rise for government employees. We could not read the budget documents themselves. The GB Finance Department website blocked automated access on 27 September 2026, and the budget speech and Finance Bill were not on the GB government or information department sites. So the figures below are as reported from the assembly session, and we say where reports differ.

GB Assembly approved a Rs 218.8 billion budget for 2026-27

The Gilgit-Baltistan government presented a full-year budget of Rs 218.845 billion for 2026-27 on 15 September 2026, and the assembly approved it by 19 September, as reported. Senior Minister Muhammad Ali Akhtar, who also holds finance, presented it.

The budget came three months late, and there is a simple reason. Gilgit-Baltistan held its assembly election on 7 June 2026, the poll date in the Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan's notification. The new government took office at the end of June, with almost no time before the financial year began on 1 July.

So in July it passed a three-month interim budget of Rs 20.478 billion to keep salaries and services running, as reported. The full-year plan is the one now approved.

The running and development figures add up to about Rs 194 billion, not Rs 218.8 billion. The finance minister was reported as saying the total reaches Rs 218 billion once the federal stabilisation package is counted.

Minimum wage in Gilgit-Baltistan announced at Rs 44,000

As reported, the budget raises the minimum monthly wage in Gilgit-Baltistan from Rs 40,000 to Rs 44,000, a rise of 10 per cent. It was reported to cover workers in all government and non-government institutions, including shops, hotels and private firms.

A budget announcement is not the same as a legal order. A minimum wage is enforced once the labour department notifies it. We did not find a GB minimum wage notification online on 27 September 2026. Until one appears, a worker has a strong claim to Rs 44,000 but not yet a printed order to show an employer.

For comparison, Sindh's minimum wage of Rs 43,000 is Rs 1,000 lower. Keep your pay slips from October onward, because they are the record you would need if an employer does not move to the new rate once it is notified.

Government employees get a pay rise from the second quarter

GB government employees are set to receive a 7 per cent pay rise, a 15 per cent rise in the Disparity Reduction Allowance and a 50 per cent rise in the conveyance allowance, as reported. The increases apply from the second quarter of the financial year, meaning from October 2026.

Not every report of the session listed the 7 per cent figure, so treat it as reported until the Finance Department publishes its order. Other items reported for staff:

• Police disparity allowance adjusted to 2017 rates.
• A Rescue 1122 special allowance equal to 100 per cent of the 2022 initial basic pay.
• Rs 500 million for families of employees who die in service.

Income tax on these salaries follows the federal slabs, so the take-home effect depends on your bracket in the salary tax slabs for 2026-27.

Wheat subsidy raised back to Rs 22 billion

The GB government set aside Rs 22 billion for the wheat subsidy in 2026-27, and expects about Rs 3 billion back from wheat sales, as reported. The finance minister said the subsidy had earlier been cut to Rs 15 billion before being raised again.

The subsidy is what keeps the price of government flour low for households in Gilgit-Baltistan. The budget statement, as reported, did not announce a new flour price per bag, and we found no order changing the depot rate on the GB government websites.

Wheat for Gilgit-Baltistan is bought from the national market, where the wheat support price for 2026-27 sets the base cost.

A Rs 52 billion gap depends on federal money

Gilgit-Baltistan's own tax target is only Rs 16.98 billion against spending of more than Rs 200 billion. The budget carries a reported deficit of Rs 52.65 billion, and the GB government has asked the federal government for a special stabilisation package of about Rs 153.3 billion.

Until Islamabad agrees, parts of the plan are only intentions. The government also announced steps to save money, as reported:

1. Cut the non-development budget of every department by 30 per cent.
2. Move 1 per cent of all development funds into a single climate account.
3. Buy hybrid vehicles for departments and auction old, fuel-heavy ones.
4. Set aside Rs 1 billion for social protection, a first for GB, as reported.

Reports differ on some smaller lines. One account gives the annual development programme as Rs 23 billion, another as Rs 33 billion including a foreign-funded part. The amount for local government elections is given as Rs 50 million in one account and Rs 500 million in another. We will update these once the budget book is readable.

Common questions

What is the minimum wage in Gilgit-Baltistan in 2026?

Rs 44,000 a month, up from Rs 40,000, under the 2026-27 budget. It is enforceable once the GB labour department notifies it.

How big is the Gilgit-Baltistan budget for 2026-27?

Rs 218.845 billion, as presented on 15 September 2026, including an expected federal stabilisation package.

Did GB government employees get a salary increase?

Yes, a reported 7 per cent pay rise plus higher Disparity Reduction and conveyance allowances, from the second quarter.

How much is the wheat subsidy in Gilgit-Baltistan?

Rs 22 billion for 2026-27, up from Rs 15 billion, as reported. No new flour price was announced with it.

Why was the GB budget presented in September?

The new government took office after the 7 June 2026 election. It ran on a three-month interim budget first, then presented the full year.

Last checked and sources

Last checked on 27 September 2026. The 7 June 2026 poll date is from the Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan's poll day notification. The assembly's approval of a budget of over Rs 218 billion was reported by state media on 19 September 2026. All other figures are from the finance minister's budget statement of 15 September 2026 as reported in the Pakistani press, because the GB Finance Department website blocked access and the budget speech was not on gilgitbaltistan.gov.pk or the GB information department site when we checked. Where accounts differ, we say so above.