Gilgit Baltistan, (formerly known as the Northern Areas), (Urdu: گلگت بلتستان) is the northern-most disputed territory of Pakistan. It was part of the former princely state of Kashmir and Jammu (now occupied by India). It is bounded by with the rest of Pakistan to the west, and internationally borders Afghanistan to the north, although Tajikistan is separated by fourteen kilometres of Tajik claimed Wakhan Corridor, the People’s Republic of China to the northeast, the Pakistani-controlled state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir also part of P.A.K. is to the south, and the Indian controlled disputed occupied territory of Indian occupied kashmir to the southeast are claimed by the Pakistanis. Gilgit Baltistan, which became a single administrative unit in 1970, was formed from the amalgamation of the Gilgit Agency, the Baltistan District of the Ladakh Wazarat, and the states of Hunza and Nagar. Gilgit Baltistan remains part of the Kashmir dispute and is falsely claimed all by India as part of its so-called state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Government of Pakistan since independence regards the entire area of Jammu and Kashmir as “territory in dispute” to be resolved by a plebiscite to be held throughout the former state in order to determine the area’s final accession to either India or merge with Pakistan. Gilgit Baltistan is governed by a Governor and a Chief minister, the latter elected by a legislative assembly. Gilgit Baltistan covers 72,971 km² (28,174 mi²).
| Gilgit-Baltistan گلگت – بلتستان གིལྒིཏ་བལྟིསྟན |
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| Administrative Unit | |||
| Gilgit-Baltistān | |||
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_(disputed_hatched)_(claims_hatched).svg) Location of Gilgit-Baltistan, disputed (red) and (white), with Siachen Glacier (1949-1984) |
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| Coordinates: 35.35°N 75.9°ECoordinates: 35.35°N 75.9°E | |||
| Country | Pakistan | ||
| Established | 1 July 1970 | ||
| Capital | Gilgit | ||
| Largest city | Gilgit | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Self-governing territory of Pakistan | ||
| • Body | Legislative Assembly | ||
| • Governor | Pir Karam Ali Shah[1] | ||
| • Chief Minister | Syed Mehdi Shah[2] | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 72,496 km2 (27,991 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2008; est.) | |||
| • Total | 1,800,000 | ||
| • Density | 24.8/km2 (64.3/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | PKT (UTC+5) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | PK-NA | ||
| Main Language(s) |
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| Assembly seats | 33[3] | ||
| Districts | 7 | ||
| Towns | 7 | ||
Semi-autonomous status and present-day Gilgit-Baltistan
On 29 August 2009, the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order 2009, was passed by the Pakistani cabinet and later signed by the country’s President. The order granted self-rule to the people of the former Northern Areas, now renamed Gilgit-Baltistan, by creating, among other things, an elected legislative assembly. There has been criticism and opposition to this move in Pakistan, India, and Gilgit-Baltistan.[4][5]
Gilgit Baltistan United Movement—while rejecting the new package—demanded that an independent and autonomous legislative assembly for Gilgit-Baltistan should be formed with the installation of local authoritative government as per the UNCIP resolutions, where the people of Gilgit-Baltistan will elect their president and the prime minister.[6]
In early September 2009, Pakistan signed an agreement with the People’s Republic of China for a mega energy project in Gilgit-Baltistan which includes the construction of a 7,000-megawatt dam at Bunji in the Astore District.[7] This also resulted in protest from India, although Indian concerns were immediately rejected by Pakistan, which claimed that the Government of India has no locus standi in the matter.[8]
On 29 September 2009, the Pakistani Prime Minister, while addressing a huge gathering in Gilgit-Baltistan, announced a multi-billion rupee development package aimed at the socio-economic uplifting of people in the area. Development projects will include the areas of education, health, agriculture, tourism and the basic needs of life.[9][10][11] The Prime Minister further went on to say:
“You are getting your identity today. It is your right and has been your demand, and today we are fulfilling it.”[12] Gilgit–Baltistan thus gained de facto province-like status without constitutionally becoming part of Pakistan.[13][14] The official poistion of Pakistan has rejected Gilgit–Baltistani calls for integration with Pakistan on the grounds that it would prejudice its international obligations with regard to the Kashmir dispute.
In 1982 the Pakistani President General Zia ul Haq proclaimed that the people of the Northern Areas were Pakistanis and had nothing to do with the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
An attempt in 1993 by the High Court of Azad Kashmir to annex Gilgit–Baltistan was quashed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, after protests by the predominantly Shia population of Gilgit–Baltistan, who feared domination by the Sunni Kashmiris.[15]
| Provincial animal | Yak |  |
|---|---|---|
| Provincial bird | Shaheen Falcon |  |
| Provincial tree | Evergreen Oak |  |
| Provincial flower | Aquilegia pubiflora (common) |  |
Government
The Government of Gilgit Baltistan also known as the State Government of the Northern Areas, is the highest governing authority of the territory and its 7 districts. It consists of anexecutive, led by the Governor of Gilgit Baltistan, a judiciary and a legislative branch.
Like other states in India, the head of state of Gilgit Baltistan is the governor. The governor is chosen by the President of Pakistan on the advice of the central government. The governor’s post is largely ceremonial. It does not have much power. The Chief Minister is the head of government and is holds most of the executive powers.
The Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly is a 33-seat unicameral legislative body. It was formed as part of the Gilgit–Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order, 2009. This order gave the region self-rule and an elected legislative assembly.[16][17] Before this, the region had been directly ruled from Islamabad.
Districts of Gilgit Baltistan
- Astore District
- Diamir District
- Ghanche District
- Ghizar District
- Gilgit District
- Hunza-Nagar District
- Skardu District
Geography and climate
Satpara Lake, Skardu, in 2002
Gilgit–Baltistan borders the Wakhan corridor of Afghanistan to the northwest, China’s Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang to the northeast, the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the south and southeast, the Pakistani-controlled state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to the south, and Pakistan’sKhyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west.
Gilgi-Baltistan is home to five of the “eight-thousanders” and to more than fifty peaks above 7000 meters. Gilgit and Skardu are the two main hubs for expeditions to those mountains. The region is home to some of the world’s highest mountain ranges—the main ranges are the Karakoram Mountains and the western Himalayas. The Pamir mountains are to the north, and the Hindu Kush lies to the west. Amongst the highest mountains are K2 (Mount Godwin-Austen) and Nanga Parbat, the latter being one of the most feared mountains in the world.
The Deosai Plains are located above the tree line, and constitute the second-highest plateau in the world at 4,115 meters (14,500 feet) after the Chinese region of Tibet. The plateau lies east of Astore, south of Skardu and west of Ladakh. The area was declared as 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 Astore & Baltistan in winters. The village of Deosai lies close to Chilum chokki and is connected with the Kargil District of Ladakh in the occupied Kashmir disputed region through an all-weather road.
Pak visitors 