Jump to content

Gilgit-Baltistan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Billybob690 (talk | contribs) at 23:34, 16 November 2007 (Undid revision 171972717 by Lokantha (talk)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:Pakistan infobox

This article details the area administered by Pakistan. For the full region see Kashmir

The Northern Areas (Urdu: شمالی علاقہ جات, Shumālī Ilāqe Jāt), now known officially as the Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA), is the northernmost area of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. It borders India's occupied Jammu and Kashmir to the south-east, Afghanistan to the north, Pakistan to the west and Azad Kashmir to the south. The area west of the Indus River was known as the Gilgit Agency until October 1947.

History

After the partition of India in 1947, Jammu and Kashmir remained an independent state. Tribals from Pakistan invaded Kashmir and were backed by regular Pakistani troops. Fearing the might of Pakistani Forces, Kashmir sought military help from India and, in return, the Maharaja agreed to accede to India. India accepted this, and the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947 was fought to send Pakistani forces back. However, the war was not decisive and a cease-fire was called in 1948. The end of the war saw India gaining most of Kashmir, including the fertile parts of it, with Pakistan securing the northern and western parts of Kashmir. The part of Kashmir to the north and west of the cease-fire line or the Line of Control, known as the Northern Areas (72,496 km²) in the north and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (13,297 km²) in the south, is controlled by Pakistan. The name "Northern Areas" was first used by the United Nations to refer to the northern areas of Kashmir. A small part of the Northern Areas, the Trans-Karakoram Tract, was ceded to the People's Republic of China by Pakistan in 1963.

Subdivisions

The Northern Areas is divided into six districts[1] in two Regions: the two Baltistan districts of Skardu and Gangche, and four Gilgit districts of Gilgit, Ghizer, Diamer and Astore. The main political centres are the towns of Gilgit and Skardu.

Regions District Area (km²) Population (1998) Headquarters
Baltistan Ghanche 9,400 88,366 Khaplu
  Skardu 18,000 214,848 Skardu
Gilgit Astore 8,657 71,666 Gorikot
  Diamer 10,936 131,925 Chilas
Ghizer 9,635 120,218 Gahkuch
  Gilgit 21,300 243,324 Gilgit
Northern Areas 6 districts 72,971 970,347

Before partition of J&K, Baltistan was part of Ladakh Province, and Skardu was the winter capital of Ladakh for 106 years.

Geography

The Northern Areas borders the Wakhan corridor of Afghanistan to the northwest, the Xinjiang autonomous region of China to the northeast, the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to the southeast, the Pakistani-administered state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to the southeast and the North-West Frontier Province to the west.

The region is home to some of the world's highest mountain ranges — the main ranges are the Karakoram and the western Himalayas. The Pamir mountains are to the north, and the Hindu Kush lies to the west. Amongst the highest mountains are Godwin-Austen and Nanga Parbat, one of the most feared mountains in the world.

Climate

The climate of the Northern Areas varies from region to region. There are towns like Gilgit and Chilas that are very hot during the day in summers, yet cold at nights, and valleys like Astore, Khaplu, Yasin, Hunza, and Nagar where the temperatures are cold even in summers.

Sports

Polo is the favourite game of the people of Gilgit, Chilas, Astore, Hunza and surrounding areas. People are very fond of this game. Every year a great number of tourists come from all over the country and enjoy the polo in the Northern Areas. Others games such as cricket, gulli danda, kabadi, volleyball are also played here.

Sites of interest

The Northern Areas is a major destination for foreign tourists especially for serious mountaineers because it is home to five of the eight-thousanders and more than fifty peaks above 7000m. Gilgit and Skardu are the two main hubs for all expeditions to these mountains.

Glaciers

K2 as seen from Concordia
Satpara Lake, Skardu, in 2002

Three of the world's seven longest glaciers outside the polar regions are also in the Northern Areas, the Biafo Glacier, the Baltoro Glacier, and the Batura Glacier.

Mountains

Twenty five of the Fifty Highest Peaks in the World are located in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. More than 80% of these peaks are situated in Baltistan. Karakoram and Ladakh mountain ranges extend from Baltistan into Ladakh. The Himalayas meet Hindukash near Gilgit. Indus river passes through Tibet, Ladakh, Baltistan and Gilgit before entering Pakistan.

  • 1 K2, 2nd highest in the world at 8,611m, in Baltistan
  • 2 Nanga Parbat, 9th highest in the world at 8,125m, in Gilgit
  • 3 Gasherbrum I, 11th highest in the world at 8,080m, in Baltistan
  • 4 Broad Peak/Phalchen Kangri, 12th highest in the world at 8,047m, in Baltistan
  • 5 Gasherbrum II, 13th highest in the world at 8,035m, in Baltistan
  • 6 Gasherbrum III, 15th highest in the world at 7,946m, in Baltistan
  • 7 Gasherbrum IV, 17th highest in the world at 7,932m, in Baltistan
  • 8 Distaghil Sar, 19th highest in the world at 7,884m, in Gilgit / Baltistan
  • 9 Khunyang Chhish,21st highest in the world at 7823m, in Gilgit / Baltistan
  • 10 Masherbrum ,22nd highest in the world at 7,821m, in Baltistan
  • 11 Batura Sar ,25nd highest in the world at 7,795m, in Gilgit
  • 12 Kanjut Sar ,26nd highest in the world at 7,760m, in Gilgit / Baltistan
  • 13 Rakaposhi, 27th highest in the world at 7,788m, in Gilgit
  • 14 Saltoro Kangri 31st highest in the world at 7,742m, in Baltistan / Ladakh
  • 15 Saser Kangri I 28th highest in the world at 7,672m, in Baltistan / Ladakh
  • 16 Chogolingsa 36nd highest in the world at 7,498m, in Baltistan
  • 17 Shispar 38nd highest in the world at 7,611m, in Gilgit
  • 18 Tribor Kangri 39nd highest in the world at 7,577m, in Baltistan
  • 19 Skyang Kangri 44nd highest in the world at 7,545m, in Baltistan / Ladakh
  • 20 Mamostong Kangri 45th highest in the world at 7,516m, in Baltistan
  • 21 Saser Kangri II 46th highest in the world at 7,513m, in Baltistan
  • 22 Saser Kangri III 47th highest in the world at 7,495m, in Baltistan
  • 23 Teram Kangri I 48th highest in the world at 7,462m, in Baltistan / Ladakh
  • 24 K12 49th highest in the world at 7,428m, in Baltistan
  • 25 Skilbrum 50th highest in the world at 7,410m, in Baltistan

Lakes

There are several high altitude lakes in the Northern Areas.

Deosai Plains

The Deosai Plains, called Byarsa in Baltistan, is located above the tree line, and is the second-highest pleataux in the world at 4,115 m (14,500 feet). They lie south of Skardu and west of Ladakh. The area was declared to be a national park in 1993. The Deosai Plains cover an area of almost 5,000 square kilometres. For over half the year (between September and May), Deosai is snow-bound and cut off from rest of Baltistan. The villages of Byarsa / Deosai are connected with Kargil district of Ladakh through an all-weather road, but due to closure of the border with Indian Kashmir, people of Byarsa and Gultari are stranded for the winter months and not being able to utilize the economic benefits of Ladakh

Rock art and petroglyphs

File:Petroglyphs near Chilas - Pakistan05 007.jpg
Ancient petroglyphs near Chilas

There are more than 20,000 pieces of rock art and petroglyphs all along the Karakoram Highway in the Northern Areas, that are concentrated at ten major sites between Hunza and Shatial. The carvings were left by various invaders, traders, and pilgrims who passed along the trade route, as well as by locals. The earliest date back to between 5000 and 1000 BC, showing single animals, triangular men and hunting scenes in which the animals are larger than the hunters. These carvings were pecked into the rock with stone tools and are covered with a thick patina that proves their age. The archaeologist Karl Jettmar has pieced together the history of the area from various inscriptions and recorded his findings in Rock Carvings and Inscriptions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan[2] and the later released Between Gandhara and the Silk Roads - Rock Carvings Along the Karakoram Highway[3].

Transportation

Road transport

Until 1978, Northern Areas was cut off from rest of Pakistan due to harsh terrain and lack of accessible roads. All roads opened towards J&K and in the east towards Ladakh. During the summers, people would walk across the mountain passes to travel to Rawalpindi. Fastest way of travel was by air and was accessible to only few privileged locals, and majority of Pakistani armed and civilian officials. Then with the co-operation of Chinese government, Pakistan planned to construct Karakoram Highway (KKH) which was completed in 1978.

The Karakoram Highway (KKH) connects Islamabad to Gilgit and Skardu, which are the two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. The journey from Islamabad to Gilgit takes approximately 20-24 hours. Landslides on Karakoram Highway are very common. KKH connects Gilgit to Taxkorgan and Kaxgar in Xinjiang, China via Sust (the customs and health inspection post on Pakistan side) and theKhunjerab Pass, the highest paved international border crossing in the world at 4,693 metres (15,397 feet).

NATCO (Northern Areas Transport Corporation) offers bus and jeep transport service to the two hubs and several other popular destinations, lakes, and glaciers in the area.

Commuter service between Gilgit and Kashgar

The Karakoram Highway

In March 2006, the respective governments announced that, commencing on June 1, 2006, a thrice weekly bus service would begin across the boundary from Gilgit, Northern Areas to Kashgar, China and road widening work would begin on 600 kilometres of the Karakoram Highway. There would also be one daily bus in each direction between the Sust and Taxkorgan border areas of the two countries. [4]

Air transport

Pakistan International Airlines used to fly a Fokker F27 daily between Gilgit Airport and Islamabad International Airport. The flying time is approximately 50 minutes, and the flight is one of the most scenic flights in the world, as its route passes over Nanga Parbat, and the peak of the mountain is higher than the aircraft's cruising altitude. PIA also offers regular flights of Boeing 737 between Skardu and Islamabad. However, the Fokker F27 was retired after the crash at Multan in 2006. Currently flights are being operated by PIA to Gilgit on the brand new ATR42-500 aircraft purchased in 2006. Due to this the cancellation of flights is much less than in the Fokker days. All flights, however, are subject to weather clearance, and in winters, flights are often delayed by several days.

Demographics

The population consists of many diverse linguistic, ethnic and religious groups due in part to the many isolated valleys separated by some of the world's highest mountains. Urdu is the lingua franca of the region, understood by most male inhabitants. The Shina language (with several dialects) is the language of 40% of the population, spoken mainly in Gilgit, throughout Diamer, and some parts of Ghizer. The Balti language, a sub-dialect of Ladakhi and part of Tibetan language group is spoken by the entire population of Baltistan. Minor languages spoken in the area include Wakhi spoken in upper Hunza, and some villages in Ghizer, while Khowar is the major language of Ghizer. Burushaski is an isolated language spoken in Hunza, Nagar, Yasin (where Khowar is also spoken), some parts of Gilgit and some villages of Punyal. Another interesting language is Domaaki, spoken by the musician clans of the region. A small minority also speaks Pashto.

At the last census (1998), the population of the Northern Areas was 870,347. [5] Approximately 14% of the population was urban. [6]>>

Recent history

The region used to consist of many small states ruled by hereditary Mirs (in Hunza and Nagar) or Raas (in Gilgit). Some parts of the region were invaded by Kashmir, and nominally the states were governed as a part of Kashmir for many years. Locally, this association with Kashmir is disputed by some who regard themselves as being distinct from Kashmiris, while others choosing to identify themselves as Kashmiris. There is also significant support for the region to become a province of Pakistan, separate from Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The region's lack of representation in the Pakistani parliament has placed it outside the mainstream politics of the country, and is a major cause of frustration among the local population. Unlike Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the Northern Areas is governed directly by Pakistan as a de facto colony. However, recently the Pakistan government has set up the Northern Areas Legislative Council to allow locals to choose their own representatives[7]

Ancient history

Manuscript of the Buddhist Jyotiṣkāvadāna text written in the Sarada script, from Gilgit.

The southern route of the ancient Silk Road passes through the area, travelled by merchants from many far-off places who may have stopped here and intermarried with the locals. It had long been speculated that the relatively fair-skinned and, in places, light-haired people of the area were descendants of the Greeks who, beginning with the soldiers of Alexander the Great, and continuing into the Greco-Buddhist period, settled in the region (see Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek). However, recent DNA analysis has failed to find any evidence of Greek ancestry.[citation needed] It is now thought that much of the population is descended from various aboriginal peoples as well as the descendants of Indo-Iranian tribes and possibly from Tokharian-speaking Yuezhi people from Gansu, who ruled the region during the Kushan era.

Until 1949, Baltistan was part of Ladakh and most of its history is attached with Ladakh. Baltistan shares common civilization, language, culture and customs with Ladakh. Today, many Baltis desire unification with Ladakh as part of the historical and cultural province.

Kashmir dispute

Main articles: Indo-Pakistani Wars and Azad Kashmir

India does not recognise the Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir as part of Pakistan and refers to them as "Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK)". Pakistan's position is to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir to determine the will of the people, according to the three resolutions of the UN Security Council and the United Nations Commission. The promised plebiscite however, has never been held in the region due to the failure of Pakistan to first pull back their troops and vacate their respective parts of Kashmir, which was the first precondition for the plebiscite to be held. Pakistan also does not recognise Jammu and kashmir which is controlled by India and calls it Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).

Jammu and Kashmir was a princely state with a Muslim majority ruled by a Hindu Maharaja Hari Singh until 1947. In 1947, when the United Kingdom granted the Indian subcontinent independence, Hari Singh initially sought to be independent of both India and Pakistan. Soon after independence, Pashtun tribesmen from Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province invaded the then independent state of Jammu and Kashmir. With no defence forces and a deteriorating human rights condition, the Maharaja turned to India for military assistance. India's then Governor-General, Lord Mountbatten, favoured the state's accession to India, to which the Maharaja agreed. After the Instrument of Accession was signed, the National Conference's Sheikh Abdullah became the head of the Kashmir state government. By January 1948, Pakistan had contested the accession and invaded Kashmir. After months of intense fighting, both nations agreed on a cease-fire, separating the region into two controlled areas: Indian-controlled Kashmir and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. In 1962, China fought a war with India and occupied the disputed northeastern part of the Kashmir region known as Aksai Chin, which India claims as an integral part of India. Ever since, a bitter enmity has developed between India and Pakistan. The two countries have been to war twice over Kashmir (1947-1949 and 1965), and clashed there again during the Kargil Conflict of 1999. The region remains one of the most heavily militarised zones in the world. The de facto situation, as of 2007, is that Pakistan controls the western third, India controls much of the rest, apart from two small regions occupied by China. Since the end of the first Kashmir war, the region has not had a clearly defined constitutional status, since Pakistan did not want to integrate it into its constitution until the Kashmir issue was resolved. This resulted in a lack of representation in the Pakistan parliament for the residents of the region and undetermined legal status, both matters of which have been a cause of continuing concern.[8] The lack of legal rights and the resultant denial of human rights has created problems in the region.[9] The Human Right Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has criticized Islamabad over the state of basic human and political rights in the Northern Areas.[10] This, along with reports of abuse by the Pakistan Army in the region, has created some tensions.[11]The Hindu notes that "Though outwardly calm, the Northern Areas of Pakistan are simmering with a crisis that has all the ingredients of boiling over the rim"[12] A political group which refers to the region as Balawaristan has demanded independence, expressing a desire to gain independence, but the group has very limited support among the residents of Northern Areas[13][14], many of them actually preferring the de-facto state being declared a proper province of Pakistan to empower the people. All this has resulted in a steep decline in tourism to the Northern Areas[15], although it still is a favourite destination among European mountaineers. Pakistan states that india actively supports anti pakistan movements in the tribal regions these veiws were expressed by Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam she stated that there is substantial evidence of indian interference within the tribal regions of northern pakistan.[16] (This article should be moved to the kashmir dispute page)

National honours

The people of Northern Areas are well renowned for their courage and valour. Hence, majority of the Northern Light Infantry is composed of residents of the Northern Areas. The Northern Light Infantry was primarily used during the Kargil War and suffered heavy losses; The Herald, a Pakistani publication, stated that more than 500 soldiers were killed and buried in the northern areas[17]. Lalak Jan from Yasin, Northern Areas was awarded Pakistan's highest medal, Nishan-e-Haider for his courageous actions during the Kargil conflict.

Notes and references

  1. ^ "Wrangling over new Astore district headquarters" (HTML). Dawn Newspaper Internet Edition. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
  2. ^ Rock Carvings and Inscriptions along the Karakorum Highway (Pakistan) - - a brief introduction
  3. ^ BETWEEN GANDHARA AND THE SILK ROADS
  4. ^ "Kashgar-Gilgit bus service planned" (HTML). Dawn Newspaper Internet Edition. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
  5. ^ "Administrative Division and Population of the Northern Areas (1998)" (HTML). Northern Areas Management Information System. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
  6. ^ "Population, poverty and environment" (PDF). Northern Areas Strategy for Sustainable Development. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
  7. ^ Northern Areas - Government
  8. ^ Discord in Pakistan’s Northern Areas Asia Report, International Crisis Group, 2 April 2007
  9. ^ matterssww.dawn.com/2007/01/05/nat15.htm Govt’s policy leaves people in the lurch: Status of Northern Areas By Syed Irfan Raza] January 05, 2007 Dawn
  10. ^ The Northern Areas' dangerous limbo by M. Ismail Khan September 27, 2005 The News, Pakistan
  11. ^ [1]
  12. ^ [2]
  13. ^ [3]
  14. ^ Balawaristan official page
  15. ^ Tourism on the decline in Northern Areas By Shabbir Ahmed Mir The News, Pakistan
  16. ^ http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=118721
  17. ^ The Herald Special Report on Kargil

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Northern Areas.

Mountains

Towns

Lakes

Official
Other
Articles
Maps

Template:PakPoliticalDivisions

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Gilgit-Baltistan&oldid=171987499"