Astore District: Difference between revisions

Astore District

ضلع استور
Astore District ضلع استور
District of Gilgit−Baltistan administered by Pakistan.
	Nanga Parbat seen from the Rama Valley near Astore District in August 2016
	Interactive map of Astore district
	A map showing Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan (shaded in sage green) in the disputed Kashmir region
	Coordinates (Eidgah, Astore): 35°20′49″N 74°51′22″E / 35.34694°N 74.85611°E
Administering country	Pakistan
Territory	Gilgit-Baltistan
Division	Diamer
Headquarters	Eidgah
Government
• Type	District Administration
• Deputy Commissioner	Muhammad Zulqanain Khan
• Superintendent of Police	N/A
• District Health Officer	N/A
Area
• Total	5,092 km2 (1,966 sq mi)
Population (1998)
• Total	71,666
• Density	14/km2 (36/sq mi)
Number of tehsils	2

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Astore District (Urdu: ضلع استور) is a district of Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region.^[1] It is one of the 14 districts of the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit−Baltistan.^[2] Its administrative headquarters are located at Eidgah in the Astore Valley. Astore District is bounded by Gilgit District to the north, Roundu District to the northeast, Skardu District to the east, Kharmang District to the southeast, Diamer District to the west, the Neelum District of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to the southwest, and the Bandipore District of Indian-administered disputed Kashmir region to the south.

Astore Valley

A view of the terrain on the way to Astore

The Astore Valley has an area of 5,092 km² and lies at an altitude of 2,600 metres (8,500 ft). The valley has approximately 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi) of glacier cover.^[3] The nearest glacier after entering the valley is the Harcho Glacier,^[4] and the most accessible is the Siachen Glacier.^[5]

Accessibility

Astore is connected to Gilgit, which is well connected by air with Islamabad and by road with Peshawar, Swat, Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Chitral, and Skardu. There are two ways of access to Eidgah. The first is from Skardu via the Deosai Plateau 143 kilometres (89 mi),^[6] but that route cannot be used from November to June due to heavy snowfall. The second route, usable the year round, is from Gilgit via Jaglot 128 kilometres (80 mi).^[7]

History

Around 1600, according to the Imperial Gazetteer of India:

Ghāzī Mukhpun, a Persian adventurer, is said to have married a princess of the Skārdu reigning family. The four sons born of this union became Rās of Astor, Kharmang, Rondu, and Skārdu, respectively, and from them are descended the families of the present chiefs of those places. The independence of Astor ceased with the Dogra conquest.^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary sources (a) through (e), reflecting due weight in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (h) through (i) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (j) below).
(a) Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 15 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories.";
(b) Pletcher, Kenneth, Aksai Chin, Plateau Region, Asia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 16 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state.";
(c) "Kashmir", Encyclopedia Americana, Scholastic Library Publishing, 2006, p. 328, ISBN 978-0-7172-0139-6 C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947";
(d) Osmańczyk, Edmund Jan (2003), Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: G to M, Taylor & Francis, pp. 1191–, ISBN 978-0-415-93922-5 Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China."
(e) Talbot, Ian (2016), A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas, Yale University Press, pp. 28–29, ISBN 978-0-300-19694-8 Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir.";
(f) Skutsch, Carl (2015) [2007], "China: Border War with India, 1962", in Ciment, James (ed.), Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II (2nd ed.), London and New York: Routledge, p. 573, ISBN 978-0-7656-8005-1, The situation between the two nations was complicated by the 1957–1959 uprising by Tibetans against Chinese rule. Refugees poured across the Indian border, and the Indian public was outraged. Any compromise with China on the border issue became impossible. Similarly, China was offended that India had given political asylum to the Dalai Lama when he fled across the border in March 1959. In late 1959, there were shots fired between border patrols operating along both the ill-defined McMahon Line and in the Aksai Chin.
(g) Clary, Christopher, The Difficult Politics of Peace: Rivalry in Modern South Asia, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, p. 109, ISBN 9780197638408, Territorial Dispute: The situation along the Sino-Indian frontier continued to worsen. In late July (1959), an Indian reconnaissance patrol was blocked, "apprehended," and eventually expelled after three weeks in custody at the hands of a larger Chinese force near Khurnak Fort in Aksai Chin. ... Circumstances worsened further in October 1959, when a major class at Kongka Pass in eastern Ladakh led to nine dead and ten captured Indian border personnel, making it by far the most serious Sino-Indian class since India's independence.
(h) Bose, Sumantra (2009), Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace, Harvard University Press, pp. 294, 291, 293, ISBN 978-0-674-02855-5 Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million.), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control."
(i) Fisher, Michael H. (2018), An Environmental History of India: From Earliest Times to the Twenty-First Century, Cambridge University Press, p. 166, ISBN 978-1-107-11162-2 Quote: "Kashmir’s identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised 'Line of Control' still separating Pakistani-held Azad ('Free') Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir.";
(j) Snedden, Christopher (2015), Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, Oxford University Press, p. 10, ISBN 978-1-84904-621-3 Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'."
^ "GB notifies four more districts, total number of districts now 14". Pakistan Today.
^ Sher Muhammad, Lide Tian, Asif Khan, "Early twenty-first century glacier mass losses in the Indus Basin constrained by density assumptions", Journal of Hydrology, Volume 574, 2019, pages 467–475
^ Muhammad, S., Tian, L., & Nüsser, M. (2019). "No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016". Journal of Glaciology, 65(250), 270–278. doi:10.1017/jog.2019.5
^ Muhammad, S. and Tian, L. (2016) Changes in the ablation zones of glaciers in the western Himalaya and the Karakoram between 1972 and 2015, Remote Sensing of Environment. Elsevier Inc., 187, pp. 505–512. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2016.10.034.
^ "Distance from Skardu via Deosai Plains". Google Maps. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
^ "Distance from Gilgit via Jaglot". Google Maps. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
^ "Gilgit" - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 12, p. 239 According to the Imperial Gazetteer, which was compiled in the first decade of the twentieth century, the marriage took place over three hundred years previously.

[tertiary-kashmir-1] The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary sources (a) through (e), reflecting due weight in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (h) through (i) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (j) below).
(a) Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 15 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories.";
(b) Pletcher, Kenneth, Aksai Chin, Plateau Region, Asia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 16 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state.";
(c) "Kashmir", Encyclopedia Americana, Scholastic Library Publishing, 2006, p. 328, ISBN 978-0-7172-0139-6 C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947";
(d) Osmańczyk, Edmund Jan (2003), Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: G to M, Taylor & Francis, pp. 1191–, ISBN 978-0-415-93922-5 Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China."
(e) Talbot, Ian (2016), A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas, Yale University Press, pp. 28–29, ISBN 978-0-300-19694-8 Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir.";
(f) Skutsch, Carl (2015) [2007], "China: Border War with India, 1962", in Ciment, James (ed.), Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II (2nd ed.), London and New York: Routledge, p. 573, ISBN 978-0-7656-8005-1, The situation between the two nations was complicated by the 1957–1959 uprising by Tibetans against Chinese rule. Refugees poured across the Indian border, and the Indian public was outraged. Any compromise with China on the border issue became impossible. Similarly, China was offended that India had given political asylum to the Dalai Lama when he fled across the border in March 1959. In late 1959, there were shots fired between border patrols operating along both the ill-defined McMahon Line and in the Aksai Chin.
(g) Clary, Christopher, The Difficult Politics of Peace: Rivalry in Modern South Asia, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, p. 109, ISBN 9780197638408, Territorial Dispute: The situation along the Sino-Indian frontier continued to worsen. In late July (1959), an Indian reconnaissance patrol was blocked, "apprehended," and eventually expelled after three weeks in custody at the hands of a larger Chinese force near Khurnak Fort in Aksai Chin. ... Circumstances worsened further in October 1959, when a major class at Kongka Pass in eastern Ladakh led to nine dead and ten captured Indian border personnel, making it by far the most serious Sino-Indian class since India's independence.
(h) Bose, Sumantra (2009), Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace, Harvard University Press, pp. 294, 291, 293, ISBN 978-0-674-02855-5 Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million.), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control."
(i) Fisher, Michael H. (2018), An Environmental History of India: From Earliest Times to the Twenty-First Century, Cambridge University Press, p. 166, ISBN 978-1-107-11162-2 Quote: "Kashmir’s identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised 'Line of Control' still separating Pakistani-held Azad ('Free') Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir.";
(j) Snedden, Christopher (2015), Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, Oxford University Press, p. 10, ISBN 978-1-84904-621-3 Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'."

[2] "GB notifies four more districts, total number of districts now 14". Pakistan Today.

[3] Sher Muhammad, Lide Tian, Asif Khan, "Early twenty-first century glacier mass losses in the Indus Basin constrained by density assumptions", Journal of Hydrology, Volume 574, 2019, pages 467–475

[4] Muhammad, S., Tian, L., & Nüsser, M. (2019). "No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016". Journal of Glaciology, 65(250), 270–278. doi:10.1017/jog.2019.5

[5] Muhammad, S. and Tian, L. (2016) Changes in the ablation zones of glaciers in the western Himalaya and the Karakoram between 1972 and 2015, Remote Sensing of Environment. Elsevier Inc., 187, pp. 505–512. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2016.10.034.

[6] "Distance from Skardu via Deosai Plains". Google Maps. Retrieved 4 August 2019.

[7] "Distance from Gilgit via Jaglot". Google Maps. Retrieved 4 August 2019.

[8] "Gilgit" - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 12, p. 239 According to the Imperial Gazetteer, which was compiled in the first decade of the twentieth century, the marriage took place over three hundred years previously.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Administrative unit of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
+{{EngvarB|date=February 2021}}
 {{Infobox settlement
-| name                    = Astore District
+| name                   = Astore District
-| official_name           =
+| native_name            = {{Nastaliq|ضلع استور}}
-| native_name             = {{nq|ضلع استور}}
+| native_name_lang       = ur
+| settlement_type        = [[Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan|District of Gilgit−Baltistan]] administered by Pakistan.<ref name="tertiary-kashmir" />
-| native_name_lang        = ur
-| settlement_type         = [[Districts of Pakistan|District]]
+| image_skyline          = File:Astore Rama Valley.jpg
-| image_skyline           = File:Astore Rama Valley.jpg
+| imagesize              = 300px
-| imagesize               =
+| image_alt              =
+| image_caption          = [[Nanga Parbat]] seen from the [[Rama Lake (Pakistan)|Rama Valley]] near Astore District in August 2016
-| image_alt               =
+ | image_map1         = Kashmir region. LOC 2003626427 - showing sub-regions administered by different countries.jpg
-| image_caption           = The Rama Valley near Astore
+| map_caption1       = A map showing Pakistani-administered [[Gilgit-Baltistan]] (shaded in [[sage (color)|sage]] green) in the disputed [[Kashmir]] region<ref name="tertiary-kashmir" />
-| image_map               = Pakistan - Gilgit-Baltistan - Astore.svg
+| coordinates      = {{coord|35|20|49|N|74|51|22|E|type:adm2nd_region:PK_dim:100000|display=inline,title}}
-| mapsize                 = 300px
+| image_map          = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-width=300|frame-height=170|frame-align=center|zoom=4|type=point|title=Astore District|marker=district|type2=shape|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080}}
-| map_alt                 =
+| coor_pinpoint      = Eidgah, Astore
-| map_caption             = map of Gilgit-Baltistan (in yellow) whereas Astore district location is orange colored .
-| latd  = |latm  = |lats  = |latNS  =
+| map_caption        = Interactive map of Astore district
+| subdivision_type       = Administering country
-| longd = |longm = |longs = |longEW =
-| coordinates_type        =
+| subdivision_name       = [[Pakistan]]
+| subdivision_type1      = [[Administrative units of Pakistan|Territory]]
-| coordinates_display     =
-| subdivision_type        = [[Country]]
+| subdivision_name1      = [[Gilgit-Baltistan]]
-| subdivision_name        = [[Pakistan]]
+| subdivision_type2      = [[Divisions of Pakistan|Division]]
-| subdivision_type1       = [[Administrative units of Pakistan|Region]]
+| subdivision_name2      = [[Diamer Division|Diamer]]
-| subdivision_name1       = [[Gilgit-Baltistan]]
+| area_total_km2         = 5,092
-| area_total_km2          = 5092
+| population_as_of       = [[1998 Census of Pakistan|1998]]
-| population_as_of        = 1998
+| population_total       = 71,666
+| population_density_km2 = auto
-| population_total        = 71666
-| population_density_km2  =
+| founder                =
-| timezone1               = [[Time in Pakistan|PST]]
+| seat_type              = Headquarters
-| utc_offset1             = +5
+| seat                   = [[Eidgah, Astore|Eidgah]]
-| established_title       = Established
+| established_date       =
-| established_date        =
+| government_type        = District Administration
-| leader_title            =
+| leader_party           =
+| leader_title           = [[Deputy Commissioner (Pakistan)|Deputy Commissioner]]
-| leader_name             =
-| leader_title1           =
+| leader_name            =Muhammad Zulqanain Khan
-| leader_name1            =
+| leader_title1          = Superintendent of Police
-| blank_name_sec1         = District Council
+| leader_name1           = N/A
-| blank_info_sec1         =
+| leader_title2          = District Health Officer
-| blank1_name_sec1        = Number of [[Tehsil]]s
+| leader_name2           = N/A
+| blank_name_sec1        = Number of [[List of tehsils of Gilgit-Baltistan|tehsils]]
-| blank1_info_sec1        = 2
+| blank_info_sec1        = 2
-| demographics1_title1    = Main language(s)
-| demographics1_info1     = Shina
+| blank1_name_sec1       =
-| website                 =
+| blank1_info_sec1       =
+| demographics1_title1   = Main language(s)
-}}
+| demographics1_info1    = [[Shina language|Shina]]}}
+'''Astore District''' ({{langx|ur|{{nq|ضلع استور}}}}) is a district of [[Pakistan]]-administered [[Gilgit-Baltistan]] in the [[Kashmir#Dispute|disputed]] [[Kashmir]] region.<ref name="tertiary-kashmir"> The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of [[Kashmir]] and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the [[WP:TERTIARY|tertiary sources]] (a) through (e), reflecting [[WP:DUE|due weight]] in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (h) through (i) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (j) below). <br/>
+(a) {{citation|title=Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent|publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashmir-region-Indian-subcontinent |accessdate=15 August 2019}} (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories.";<br/> (b) {{citation|last1=Pletcher|first1=Kenneth|title=Aksai Chin, Plateau Region, Asia|publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Aksai-Chin |accessdate=16 August 2019}} (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state."; <br/> (c) {{citation|chapter=Kashmir|title=Encyclopedia Americana|publisher=Scholastic Library Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_cWAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA328|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7172-0139-6|page=328}} C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947"; <br/> (d) {{citation|last1=Osmańczyk|first1=Edmund Jan|title=Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: G to M|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fSIMXHMdfkkC&pg=PA1191|year=2003|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-93922-5|pages=1191–}} Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China." <br/>(e) {{citation|last=Talbot|first=Ian|title=A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eNg_CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|year=2016|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-19694-8|pages=28–29}} Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir.";  <br/> (f) {{citation|last=Skutsch|first=Carl|editor-last=Ciment|editor-first=James|title=Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II|edition=2nd|year=2015|orig-year=2007|isbn=978-0-7656-8005-1|chapter=China: Border War with India, 1962|location=London and New York|publisher=Routledge|page=573|quote=The situation between the two nations was complicated by the 1957–1959 uprising by Tibetans against Chinese rule.  Refugees poured across the Indian border, and the Indian public was outraged.  Any compromise with China on the border issue became impossible.  Similarly, China was offended that India had given political asylum to the Dalai Lama when he fled across the border in March 1959.  In late 1959, there were shots fired between border patrols operating along both the ill-defined McMahon Line and in the Aksai Chin.}}<br/>  (g) {{citation|last=Clary|first=Christopher|title=The Difficult Politics of Peace: Rivalry in Modern South Asia|publisher=Oxford University Press|location = Oxford and New York|isbn=9780197638408|page=109|quote=Territorial Dispute: The situation along the Sino-Indian frontier continued to worsen.  In late July (1959), an Indian reconnaissance patrol was blocked, "apprehended," and eventually expelled after three weeks in custody at the hands of a larger Chinese force near Khurnak Fort in Aksai Chin.  ... Circumstances worsened further in October 1959, when a major class at Kongka Pass in eastern Ladakh led to nine dead and ten captured Indian border personnel, making it by far the most serious Sino-Indian class since India's independence.}} <br/> (h) {{citation|last=Bose|first=Sumantra|title=Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ACMe9WBdNAC&pg=PA294|year=2009|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-02855-5|pages=294, 291, 293}} Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million.), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control." <br/> (i) {{citation|last=Fisher|first=Michael H.|title=An Environmental History of India: From Earliest Times to the Twenty-First Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kZVuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA166|year=2018|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-11162-2|page=166}} Quote: "Kashmir’s identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised 'Line of Control' still separating Pakistani-held Azad ('Free') Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir."; <br/> (j) {{citation|last=Snedden|first=Christopher|title=Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5amKCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10|year=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-1-84904-621-3|page=10}} Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'."
+</ref>  It is one of the 14 districts of the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit−Baltistan.<ref>{{cite web
+|url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/06/17/gb-notifies-four-more-districts-total-number-of-districts-now-14/amp/
+|website=Pakistan Today
+|title=GB notifies four more districts, total number of districts now 14}}
+</ref> Its administrative headquarters are located at [[Eidgah, Astore|Eidgah]] in the [[Astore Valley]]. Astore District is bounded by [[Gilgit District]] to the north, [[Roundu District]] to the northeast, [[Skardu District]] to the east, [[Kharmang District]] to the southeast, [[Diamer District]] to the west, the [[Neelum District]] of [[Azad Kashmir|Azad Jammu and Kashmir]] to the southwest, and the [[Bandipore district|Bandipore District]] of Indian-administered [[Kashmir#Dispute|disputed]] [[Kashmir]] region to the south.
+[[File:Gilgit-Baltistan_map_with_tehsils_labelled.png|250px|thumb|district map of Gilgit−Baltistan]][[File:Pakistan - Gilgit-Baltistan - Astore.svg|250px|thumb|Astore District within Gilgit−Baltistan]]
+==Astore Valley==
-'''Astore''' ({{lang-ur|ضلع استور}}) is one of the [[Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan|ten districts]] of [[Gilgit-Baltistan]], [[Pakistan]]. The district contains the [[Astore Valley]] (with the town of [[Astore (city)|Astore]]) and is bounded to the west by [[Diamer District]] (from which it was separated in 2004), to the north by [[Gilgit District]], to the east by [[Skardu District]] and to the south by [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa]] and [[Neelum District]] of [[Azad Kashmir]].  According to the 1998 census of Pakistan the population was 71,666.{{Citation needed|date=January 2018}}
-==The valley==
 {{main|Astore Valley}}
-[[File:Astore12.jpg|thumb]]
+[[File:Astore12.jpg|thumb|A view of the terrain on the way to Astore]]
-The Astore valley has an area of 5,092&nbsp;km² and an altitude of 2600m. The valley has an approximately 250 km^2 of glacier cover <ref>Sher Muhammad, Lide Tian, Asif Khan, Early twenty-first century glacier mass losses in the Indus Basin constrained by density assumptions, Journal of Hydrology, Volume 574, 2019, Pages 467-475</ref>. The nearest glacier after entering the valley is Harcho <ref>MUHAMMAD, S., TIAN, L., & NÜSSER, M. (2019). No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016. Journal of Glaciology, 65(250), 270-278. doi:10.1017/jog.2019.5</ref> and the most easily accessible glacier is Sachen <ref>Muhammad, S. and Tian, L. (2016) ‘Changes in the ablation zones of glaciers in the western Himalaya and the Karakoram between 1972 and 2015’, Remote Sensing of Environment. Elsevier Inc., 187, pp. 505–512. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2016.10.034.</ref>.
+The Astore Valley has an area of 5,092&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> and lies at an altitude of {{convert|2600|m}}. The valley has approximately {{convert|250|km2}} of glacier cover.<ref>Sher Muhammad, Lide Tian, Asif Khan, "Early twenty-first century glacier mass losses in the Indus Basin constrained by density assumptions", ''Journal of Hydrology'', Volume 574, 2019, pages 467–475</ref> The nearest [[glacier]] after entering the valley is the Harcho Glacier,<ref>Muhammad, S., Tian, L., & Nüsser, M. (2019). "No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016". ''Journal of Glaciology'', 65(250), 270–278. doi:10.1017/jog.2019.5</ref> and the most accessible is the [[Siachen Glacier]].<ref>Muhammad, S. and Tian, L. (2016) ''Changes in the ablation zones of glaciers in the western Himalaya and the Karakoram between 1972 and 2015, Remote Sensing of Environment''. Elsevier Inc., 187, pp. 505–512. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2016.10.034.</ref>
-[[File:Minimarg village.jpg|thumb|Minimarg village in Astore]]
-[[File:Domel Valley.jpg|thumb|Domel valley in Astore]]
-[[File:Domel valley.jpg|thumb|Domel valley in Astore]]
-[[File:Rainbow lake, Domel.jpg|thumb|Rainbow Lake in Astore]]<ref></ref>
-[[File:A Bench at Rainbow Lake, Domel.jpg|thumb|Rainbow Lake in Astore]]
 == Accessibility ==
+Astore is connected to Gilgit, which is well connected by air with [[Islamabad]] and by road with [[Peshawar]], [[Swat District|Swat]], Islamabad-Rawalpindi, [[Chitral]], and [[Skardu]]. There are two ways of access to Eidgah. The first is from [[Skardu]] via the [[Deosai Plateau]] {{convert|143|km}},<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from Skardu via Deosai Plains |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Skardu/Astore+District/@35.1587518,74.9623425,/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x38e46392bac10283:0xc2f7a786f9833d7!2m2!1d75.5509602!2d35.3247102!1m5!1m1!1s0x38e6989a58999131:0xcb07170fdcc9df0a!2m2!1d74.8741045!2d35.21899!3e0 |website=[[Google Maps]] |access-date=4 August 2019}}</ref> but that route cannot be used from November to June due to heavy snowfall. The second route, usable the year round, is from [[Gilgit]] via [[Jaglot]] {{convert|128|km}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from Gilgit via Jaglot |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Gilgit/Astore+District/@35.5844836,74.2793196,9z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x38e649e3642543b1:0x40fd0ca3ca17282b!2m2!1d74.4642861!2d35.881911!1m5!1m1!1s0x38e6989a58999131:0xcb07170fdcc9df0a!2m2!1d74.8741045!2d35.21899!3e0 |website=[[Google Maps]] |access-date=4 August 2019}}</ref>
-Astore is connected to Gilgit which is well connected by air with Islamabad(weather dependent) and by road with Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Skardu and Chitral. You can take a flight to Gilgit from the capital of the country and drive to Astore from Gilgit on metalled road.
-It connects its extremist with the Indian held Kashmir, Northwest connects with Pakistan held Kashmir, in the East it connects with the Skardu, in the West it connects to outskirts of Chilas. there are two ways to access to Astor, first is via Deawsi 95&nbsp;km from Skardu city, but it is can not be use from November to June due to heavy snowfall and second way, for all seasons, is via Joglot 135&nbsp;km from Gilgit city.
 ==History==
-According to the [[Imperial Gazetteer of India]], around 1600:
+Around 1600, according to the [[Imperial Gazetteer of India]]:
-{{cquote|Ghāzī Mukhpun, a Persian adventurer, is said to have married a princess of the Skārdu reigning family. The four sons born of this union became [[Monarch|Rās]] of Skārdu, Astor, Rondu, and Kharmang respectively, and from them are descended the families of the present chiefs of those places. Afzal, Guada, Chilma respectively was sons of Astor. They lived in Juttay, Ganda gam (Arzal abad), Gudai (Guada abad), Chilm (Chilma abad) respectively. The independence of Astor ceased at the [[Dogra]] conquest.<ref>[http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V12_245.gif Gilgit - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 12, p. 239] According to the Imperial Gazetteer, which was compiled in the first decade of the twentieth century, the marriage took place over three hundred years ago</ref>|}}
+{{cquote|Ghāzī Mukhpun, a Persian adventurer, is said to have married a princess of the Skārdu reigning family. The four sons born of this union became [[Monarch|Rās]] of Astor, Kharmang, Rondu, and Skārdu, respectively, and from them are descended the families of the present chiefs of those places. The independence of Astor ceased with the [[Dogras|Dogra]] conquest.<ref>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V12_245.gif "Gilgit"] - ''Imperial Gazetteer of India'', v. 12, p. 239 According to the ''Imperial Gazetteer'', which was compiled in the first decade of the twentieth century, the marriage took place over three hundred years previously.</ref>|}}
-<gallery>
-Image:8 july0153.jpg|astore green mountains
-Image:Zia0053.jpg|''astore''
-Image:Zia0095.jpg|''bullan astore''
-</gallery>
-==Climate==
-Astore valley has a moderate climate during summer. In winter it can snow up to 6&nbsp;inches (15&nbsp;cm) in the main valleys and up to 2&ndash;3 feet (60&ndash;90&nbsp;cm) in the mountains. In Mirmalik valley it snows up to {{convert|6|ft|m}} in February.
-==Languages==
-The main language spoken in the valley is [[Shina language|Shina]]. [[Urdu]], which is the National language of Pakistan, is the second most frequently spoken language.There are different dialect of Shina spoken in the region. Since Astore has a history of modest tourist traffic in the summer months, local guides and police in Tarashing or Astore may speak some English.
-== Education ==
-According to the ''Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings'' ''2015'', Astore is ranked 32 out of 148 districts in terms of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district is ranked 114 out of 148 and the first lady Governor of Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan) Dr. Shama Khalid belong to Astore District.
-<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.data.com.pk/edurankings/district.php?distid=20006&proid=19&yearid=3|title=Individual district profile link, 2015|publisher=Alif Ailaan|accessdate=2015-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326192316/http://www.data.com.pk/edurankings/district.php?distid=20006&proid=19&yearid=3|archive-date=2016-03-26|dead-url=yes}}</ref>
-==Transport==
-[[Image:Dasu.jpg|thumb | right | 100px]]
-There were some negative perceptions in past due to rough mode of transport but nowadays there are paved roads connecting [[Gilgit]] and [[Islamabad]] through the [[Karakorum Highway]]. Landslides and rockfall may be an issue in some areas of the Indus Valley. There is a permanent road through Gilgit as well as seasonal road access via [[Deosai Plateau]] to [[Skardu]]. Here you can obtain all types of vehicles (Jeeps, taxis, wagons, SUVs) and hire jeeps and SUVs at affordable prices. The most used vehicles are Jeeps and SUVs with a local preference for Pajeros and Landcruisers.
-==Places of interest==
-Astore lies about the massive base of [[Nanga Parbat]], the 9th highest peak in the world. To the south of the [[Nanga Parbat]] massif lies Rama Valley, which is home to [[Rama Lake (Pakistan)|Rama Lake]], with basic facilities for visitors. It has a hotel called the PTDC, constructed by the government of Pakistan. Astore valley is a unique area for tourists to visit, surrounded by the high peaks of the far western [[Himalaya]]. Nearby the two river junction the village Louse, popular for apples, apricot, cherry and other fruits especially the wild almond oil. Louse a small village with literacy rate of about 95%, the only biggest power house for electricity supply up to 1000&nbsp;kW to whole district approx since 1987, nearby Louse a peaks include [[Nanga Parbat]], [[Shaigiri]], [[Rupal Peak]], [[Chongra Peak]] and [[Laila Peak (Rupal Valley)]]. Astore Valley ascends from the [[Indus River]] Valley near [[Jaglot]], [[Pakistan]]..
-[[Deosai plains]] are the highest plateau in himalayas and are most picturesque with a bowl shaped lake, wild flowers, and a habitat of brown bear.The easiest route from [[Astore (city)|Astore]] is via, [[Gorikot]], ([[tarzay sultan abad]]) [[Gudai]], Chilum and then a track leads to this area with little steep hike. It has been declared a Natural park, a special status to preserve its flora and fauna.
-[[Rupal Valley]] is one of the prominent tourism spots of Astore Valley. it lies in the east of Nanga Parbat, the killer mountain (8126m). Moreover, a huge amount of water from Nanga Parbat Glacier, named Rupal River passes through Tarishing and meet with Nala Rattu at Rehmanpur. Then it flows towards east and meet with Nala Gudai at the starting point of Gorikot and become a major river of Astore Valley. This river falls in Indus River at Bunji, one of Astore Valley's village.
-[[Allah Wali jeel]] also called [["Allah named Lack"]] is one of another ancient tourism spot of Astore Valley. It is at the end of Perishing valley near by ''Gotomsar'' town, 45 minute drive away from the Astore (HQ). The name Allah written by river is famous because the river passes only through the vast aisle in the huge greenfield, This aisle is in zigzag manner and name of Allah becomes obvious if it is looked from some altitude. The greenfield is nearly 5,000 m<sup>2</sup> bounded by the high altitude mountains. There is ''Rest House'' build by the government to provide night stay accommodation and kitchen facilities for both national and international tourists. The broad greenfield is attractive for sports activities. In each year an official sports[football, cricket, volleyball and swimming] tournament event is held in July and august.
 ==References==
+{{Reflist}}
+{{commons category|Astore District}}
+{{Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan|state=collapsed}}
+{{Astore District}}
 {{Gilgit–Baltistan}}
-{{coord|35|2|20.3|N|75|6|36.91|E|source:enwiki-plaintext-parser|display=title}}
-www.marifatwelfare.org
-Facebook: marifat.welafre.organization.astore.
-<br />
 [[Category:Astore District| ]]

v t e Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan
Provincial capital: Gilgit
Baltistan	Ghanche Skardu Shigar Kharmang Roundu
Gilgit	Ghizer Gupis-Yasin Gilgit Hunza Nagar
Diamer	Astore Diamer Darel Tangir

v t e Astore District
Cities and towns	Astore (district headquarters) Bunji Eidgah
Villages	Chilum Choungrah Dashkin Douan Gudai Louze Minimarg Nasir Abad Parishing Rattu Rupal Shekong Tarishing Tarzay

v t e Gilgit-Baltistan topics
Capital: Gilgit
Passes	Babusar Pass Bichhar Pass Burji La Burzil Pass Chillinji Pass Darkot Pass Gondogoro Pass Hayal Pass Hispar Pass Khunjerab Pass
Valleys	Bagrot Valley Naltar Valley Astore Valley Nomal Valley Gilgit Valley Skardu Valley Khaplu Valley Kharmang Shigar Valley Roundu Baltistan Stak Valley Galtari
Cities and towns	(list) Gilgit Skardu Shigar Khaplu Kharmang Roundu Baltistan Danyor Jalaalabad Balghar Tolti Jutal Barah valley Chalunka Chorbat Valley Ghawari Haldi Hassanabad Karimabad Hushe Valley Keris Valley Kharfak Korphe Yugo, Baltistan Yugupa
Rivers, glaciers and lakes	Abruzzi Glacier Baltoro Glacier Batura Glacier Biafo Glacier Biarchedi Glacier Chogo Lungma Glacier Chumik Glacier Godwin-Austen Glacier Gondogoro Glacier Hainablak Glacier Hispar Glacier Kutiah Lungma Glacier Miar Glacier Panmah Glacier Passu Glacier Rupal Glacier Shani Glacier Trango Glacier Vigne Glacier Lake Kharfak Satpara Lake Shangrila Lake Shigar River Shyok River Indus Hushe River Saltoro River
Architecture	Chaqchan Mosque Khanaq-e-Mullah Noorbakshia Khaplu Bala Khaplu Palace Shigar Fort Skardu Fort Baltit Fort Amburiq Mosque
See also	Provincial Highways of Gilgit-Baltistan Karakoram Highway Ladakh Line of Control Kargil War Balti language History of Gilgit-Baltistan K2 Balti (food)