:''This article details only the area administered by
Pakistan. For the full region see
Kashmir''
The 'Northern Areas' (
Urdu: , ''), now known officially as the 'Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA)', is the northernmost area of
Pakistani-administered
Kashmir. 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 three divisions: the two
Baltistan districts of
Skardu and
Ghanche, and four
Gilgit districts of
Gilgit,
Ghizer,
Diamer and
Astore. The main political centres are the towns of Gilgit and
Skardu.
| Division | District | Area (km²) | Population (1998) | Headquarters |
|---|
| 'Baltistan' | Ghanche | 9,400 | 88,366 | Khaplu |
| | Skardu | 18,000 | 214,848 | Skardu |
| 'Diamer' | Astore | 8,657 | 71,666 | Gorikot |
| | Diamer | 10,936 | 131,925 | Chilas |
| 'Gilgit' | Ghizer | 9,635 | 120,218 | Gahkuch |
| | Gilgit | 21,300 | 243,324 | Gilgit |
| Northern Areas | '6 districts' | 72,971 | 970,347 | |
|---|
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 area.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,volley ball 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
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
Eighteen of the Fifty Hightest Peaks in the World are located in the Northern Areas of Pakistan.
★ 1
K2, 2nd highest in the world at 8,611m.
★ 2
Nanga Parbat, 9th highest in the world at 8,125m
★ 3
Gasherbrum I, 11th highest in the world at 8,080m.
★ 4
Broad Peak, 12th highest in the world at 8,047m.
★ 5
Gasherbrum II, 13th highest in the world at 8,035m
★ 6
Gasherbrum III, 15th highest in the world at 7,946m.
★ 7
Gasherbrum VI, 17th highest in the world at 7,932m.
★ 8
Distaghil Sar, 19th highest in the world at 7,884m.
★ 9
Khunyang Chhish,21st highest in the world at 7823m.
★ 10
Masherbrum ,22nd highest in the world at 7,821m.
★ 11
Batura Sar ,25nd highest in the world at 7,795m.
★ 12
Kanjut Sar ,26nd highest in the world at 7,760m.
★ 13
Rakaposhi, 27th highest in the world at 7,788m.
★ 14
Saltoro Kangri 31st highest in the world at 7,742m.
★ 15
Chogolisa 36nd highest in the world at 7,498m.
★ 16
Shispare 38nd highest in the world at 7,611m.
★ 17
Trivora 39nd highest in the world at 7,577m.
★ 18
Skyang Kangri 44nd highest in the world at 7,545m.
Lakes
There are several high altitude lakes in the ''Northern Areas''.
★
Sheosar Lake in
Deosai Plains
★
Satpara Lake in
Skardu
★
Katchura Lake in
Skardu
★
Borith Lake in upper
Hunza
★
Rama Lake near
Astore
★
Rush Lake near
Nagar
★
Kromber Lake In
Kromber Pass
Deosai Plains
The
Deosai Plains, located above the tree line, are the second-highest plains in the world at 4,115 m (13,500 feet). They lie south of
Skardu and east of the
Astore Valley. The area was declared to be a
national park in
1993. The Deosai Plains cover an area of almost 3,000 square kilometers. For just over half the year (between November and May), Deosai is snow-bound.
Rock art and petroglyphs
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'' and the later released ''Between Gandhara and the Silk Roads - Rock Carvings Along the Karakoram Highway''.
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 previliged 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 the
Khunjerab 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
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.
[2]
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 aircrafts 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.
[3] Approximately 14% of the population was urban.
[4]
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.
[1]
Ancient history
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. 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.
Kashmir dispute
Main articles: Indo-Pakistani Wars,
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.
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, favored 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.
[5] The lack of legal rights and the resultant denial of human rights has created problems in the region.
[6] The Human Right Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has criticized Islamabad over the state of basic human and political rights in the Northern Areas.
[7] This, along with reports of abuse by the Pakistan Army in the region, has created some tensions.
[8]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"
[9] 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
[10][11], 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
[12], although it still is a favourite destination among European mountaineers.
National honors
The people of Northern Areas are well renowned for their courage and valor. 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
[13].
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
2. Kashgar-Gilgit bus service planned
3. Administrative Division and Population of the Northern Areas (1998)
4. Population, poverty and environment
5. Discord in Pakistan’s Northern Areas Asia Report, International Crisis Group, 2 April 2007
6. 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
7. The Northern Areas' dangerous limbo by M. Ismail Khan September 27, 2005 The News, Pakistan
8. [2]
9. [3]
10. [4]
11. Balawaristan official page
12. Tourism on the decline in Northern Areas By Shabbir Ahmed Mir The News, Pakistan
13. The Herald Special Report on Kargil
★ ''Pakistan Trekking Guide'', by Isobel and Ben Shaw, 1993.
★
Of Rivers and Human Rights: The Northern Areas, Pakistan's Forgotten Colony in Jammu and Kashmir, Raman, Anita D, , , International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, 2004
See also
★
www.gojal.net
★
Karakoram
★
Karakoram Highway
★
Indus River
★
List of mountains in Pakistan
★
Kargil War
★
Gorikot
★
Northern Light Infantry
★
List of topics on the land and the people of “Jammu and Kashmir”
Image gallery
Mountains
Towns
Lakes
External links
; Official
★
Northern Areas Government website
★
Northern Areas Development Gateway
★
Northern Areas tourism
★
Impact of the 2005 earthquake on the Northern Areas
; Other
★
Blankonthemap The Northern Kashmir WebSite
★
Gojal Valley(Uper Hunza)
★
Mountain Areas Conservancy Project
★
Snow Leopard Conservancy
★
Blankonthemap - Northern Kashmir WebSite
; Articles:
★
Photographs by Waqas Usman
★
BBC article entitled 'Pakistan's Northern Areas dilemma'
★
Dawn.com article entitled 'And when the tourists come'
★
Dawn.com article entitled 'In search of identity'
★
Daily Times article entitled 'Not 'Mir of Hunza''
★
Paknews.com article entitled 'Pakistan's Northern Areas'
★
Monitor.net article entitled 'Northern Pakistan's Karakoram & Hindu Kush Mountains'
; Maps:
★
High-detail map of Northern Pakistan by John Callaman
★
Northern Pakistan detailed placemarks in Google Earth
8000 to 9000 meters
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