A window to Northern
Areas, The Muslim dated July 13, 1997
The last episode from
“A window to Northern Areas"
Author: Syed Shams ud Din
It will be in the
fitness of things to mention the significance of a few areas in the historical
context that served as a junction in the past in serving for a linkage with Baltistan for an
easiest access and free passage in the olden days. The name of Hooper-Hisper in
Nagar comes first in this regard as this place then served as a junction
because of the fact that its present gigantic glacier was at that time, quite
hospitable for such an access with Baltistan via Shigar.
This linkage ,however,
seems to have become bedevilled subsequently due to the formidable glacial
movement in a cyclical manner to an extent that at present no penetration of
the kind except sophisticated climbing equipment, is possible. Let us also have
a brief discussion on the Nagar at large and how the world attributed to it
could have originated.
It becomes prima facie,
construable that the word Nagar in Hindi literally means a city or town which
seems to have been befittingly applied in toto, in the same sense in
Brushiuski.
The people of Baltistan
however, call Nagar as Narkin and to valley as Khajuni. Likewise, the people of
Xinjiang (China) call Hunza and Nagar as Kanjut and the people living there as
Kanjuti. The people of Bagrote and Haramoosh call the people of Kanjut as
Khajun which obviously means the people that inhabit Khajuni. This term is invariably applied by them in case of all the
people living along River Hunza like Jotel, Nomal, Nagar, Hunza and so on to
those living up to Khunjerab.
Unlike the people of
the twin-tracts of Bagrote-Haramoosh, the people of Gilgit are prone to
constrict this term only to the people of Nagar valley.
The reason being that once the ruler of Nagar,
Kamal Khan invited Raja Mirza- Ruler of Gilgit to Nagar only top be
treacherously assassinated by the latter. After this incident, the term Khajun
was known in the jargon rather as an adjective in the sense to be attributed to
the inhabitants of that valley.
A recapitulation of the
historical events pertaining to the Brushal and those of the Buddhist
domination of Biloristan brings it to safely to the fore that these areas have
quite a distinct history though chequered one, con statute a distinct people
who became glavanized with those of the adjoining areas only on the religious
bon with the advent of Islam here. History amply bears the fact that they
always have lived a very tough life yet did never lose their identity on the
whole as is evident from the successful overthrowal of the Dogra regime on
November 1, 1947 despite being ill-equipped.
What fired their
enthusiasm then was the bond of Islam necessitating their amalgamation with the
newly carved out state of Pakistan besides the necessity of undoing the subjugation that was foisted
on them in the wake of half-a-century’s machinations against them.
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