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 maximum distance between Mars and Earth comes when the two planets are on opposite sides of the Sun. At this point, the distance between them is 2.5 astral units. Because light travels at 250,000 kilometers per second, this means that Mars ranges from 4 to as much as 20 light-minutes away. Learn more about Planets