Window to Gilgit-Baltistan

By  Sajjad Ahmad   Every year on November 1, the region of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) officially celebrates its independence from Kashmir’s Dogra family rule. Gilgit was liberated on November 1, 1947 while Baltistan was freed in 1948 as a result of a bloody freedom war. Despite protestations from India and even some Kashmiris, and despite Gilgit Baltistan existing in Pakistani maps as a part of a territory whose status has yet to be determined, the people of GB have never accepted being part of the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir, over which Pakistan and India have been at loggerheads since Independence in 1947. It is instructive to look back at history to understand why. Before its independence, present-day GB was part of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, one of the largest princely states of India. This state was created in 1846 after the signing of a treaty between the British and Gulab Singh of the Dogra dynasty. During the first Anglo-Sikh war (1845-1846), Gulab Singh, who w...

By Syed Shamsuddin Gilgit-Baltistan, multi-cultural and multi-lingual in its demographic character, remains home to six languages, each of which is quite distinct and different from the other. The languages of Gilgit-Baltistan include Shina, Balti, Khowar, Brushaski, Wakhi, Gujjari and Domaki. Kashmiri, Kohistani Shina, Khowar, Kilasha or Kalasha and Phalway are some of the languages spoken in GB’s neighboring regions.  Some of these languages are classified as Dardic, while . According to researchers, Chitrali languages (Khowar, Kalasha, Yadgha, Phalola), Kohistani languages (Kalami, Torwali, Kalkoti), Indus Kohistani languages (Batairi, Chiliso) and Shina languages/dialects (Aoshoojo, Domaki, Phalola and Salvi) are classified as Dardic languages. Brushaski, Wakhi, and Balti, on the other hand, are categorized as non-Dardic languages. Some of these languages have grammar and alphabets. Others are still without alphabets and grammars. Nevertheless, all of these languages ar...

By  Syed Shamsuddin   HAVING COME ACROSS a very interesting, highly inspiring and admirable summation from Ghulamuddin,  encompassing the subject matter, which appeared on 21 st   February, i.e on the occasion of ‘International Day for Protection of Mother Languages, this scribe couldn’t help dilate upon and re-emphasize the centrality of the issue insofar as Gilgit-Baltistan is concerned. It is to be seen that there are six languages and dialects spoken across Gilgit-Baltistan which are all, on the wane and as such, are threatened of going extinct. Prima facie, getting to the top of them is ‘Domaki’ which. indeed, gets singled out as the most threatened for its being on the verge of fading out. As getting unfolded from the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 7097 languages are spoken around the globe out of which, almost half are feared to go wholly extinct towards the close of the present century. The chief reason for...

By Syed Shams Uddin THOUGH unofficial, President Dr Arif Alvi’s visit to Gilgit-Baltistan the other day assumes great significance insofar his categorical and unambiguous assurance to accelerate the process of giving constitutional rights to people of Gilgit-Baltitan is concerned. Indeed, the constitutional rights’ issue remains the core problem of this region hanging in balance for the last seven decades at a stretch which has been made subject to a dithering with broken promises and backtrackings. The president is now referred to as having said rather outspokenly that the constitutional rights’ issue which to the GBian is ‘the mother of all issues’, would be taken up as soon as he is back in Islamabad as reported by regional print media. He is also referred to have said that he will have a look at ‘Sartaj Aziz Committee’ report as well whilst asking the regional people to tell as to what setup they would really like. Viewed in this backdrop, the president’s visit though ...

Gilgit-Baltistan is bounded in the north by the Wakhan corridor (Afghanistan) and the Xinjiang region of China, on the south and south-east by Indian-Occupied Kashmir and on the west by Chitral. The Mintaka Pass is the point where the borders of Pakistan, China, Russia and Afghanistan are linked. The strategic rivalry between the British and the Soviet empires for supremacy in Central Asia was known as ‘the Great Game’. The British wanted to protect their interests in the Subcontinent and in Asia against a possible Russian advance. A Russian officer visited Hunza and signed a treaty. His presence in Hunza was taken as the start of the Great Game. Because of this treaty, Col Algernon Durand was sent to Gilgit to analyse the situation. The British at the time were afraid of Russia crossing Pamir and attacking British India through the passes of Chitral and Hunza. This forced the British to develop as the ‘forward policy’. Lord Curzon visited Gilgit even before becoming viceroy of In...

By  Syed Shamsuddin     In G-B, quaint traditional livestock breeding still remains underway in the primitive pastoralist ways with almost all the farmers rearing the local, non-descriptive breeds of sheep, goats and cattle and poultry. Strivings remain underway by the relevant authorities to bring about positive change in terms are livestock and dairy development as testified by the establishment of a model dairy farm at Konodas, Gilgit in the vicinity of KIU where there is a jersey flock comprising 24 cattle heads (07 male, 10 miclh and rest calves) – all of original breed, says Dr Muhammad Naseer deputy director livestock and poultry development overseeing both the projects of dairy farming and poultry development. The adjacent hatchery with a significant yield of chicks of different breeds (both broiler and layers) which has this time round, produced 57000 to be provided to the farmers on subsidized rates in simultaneous with a significant quantity of eggs from t...

By   Syed Shamsuddin   Perceptibly, there abound divergent narratives and counter narratives wittingly or unwittingly churned out as to status of Gilgit-Baltistan which more often than not, have no bearing on and are sadly devoid of any substance when put in the correct historical perspective. In order to get the best and clearest possible picture, it becomes imperative to have a full view of and delve deeper into its background with a view to irrefutably place facts connected with the matter in the correct historical order by separating what is called the wheat from the chaff for the information of the readers as follows: Strictly speaking, the region fell on turbulent times and troublous waters during the second half of the nineteenth century which may, with profit, be called the period of uncertainty and the gloomiest transitional phase in Gilgit-Baltistan’s context. Synoptically, region consisted of and apportioned into a dozen tiny kingdoms each ruled by despotic,...