In 1993, an attempt was made by the High Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to annex Gilgit-Baltistan but was quashed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan after protests by the locals of Gilgit-Baltistan, who feared domination by the Kashmiris.
In 2016, Mars will appear brightest from May 18-June 3. Its closest approach to Earth is May 30. That is the point in Mars' orbit when it comes closest to Earth. Mars will be at a distance of 46.8 million miles (75.3 million kilometers). Mars reaches its highest point around midnight -- about 35 degrees above the southern horizon, or one third of the distance between the horizon and overhead.
The planet that can be closest to Earth when we're both in the same part of our orbits is Venus. The minimum distance between us and Venus is about 25.5 million miles, or about 28% of the distance from earth to the sun. ======================================. While we're on the subject, this is also a good time to mention Mars. After Venus, Mars is the next nearest planet to Earth.