History of the Northern Areas of Pakistan
What was once referred to as the Northern Areas is now Gilgit-Baltistan. From ancient times up until the present, these areas have transitioned from many small kingdoms, a province of Dogra, and the Tibetan-Buddhist region to many crossroads for caravans and religious pilgrims. From the Karimabad hotels, it is unfortunate that most of this history is not visible, as it still remains within reach of a one-hour drive.
This is a quick overview from ancient history to the present day.
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First Came the Rock Carvings
Between Shatial and Hunza along the upper Indus River lie numerous rock carvings, some dating back to ancient times. The carvings include hunting scenes and stupas, and along with Buddhas and Jataka stories, numerous traders and pilgrims have left their marks in various scripts including Kharoshthi, Brahmi, Sogdian, and Chinese.
Shatial, Thalpan, and Chilas have the highest concentrations of archaeological evidence, and Haldeikish’s inscription in Hunza mentions travelers who came all the way from Mathura. Much of this lies right in the way of the Diamer-Bhasha dam reservoir, so a good portion of this will eventually be submerged.
The Buddhist and Tibetan Centuries
For a few hundred years, Gilgit was a center of Buddhism. The Kargah Buddha, dated around the 7th century, is a large rock carving to the west of the city, still watching over the valley, and is one of the earliest known sites of Buddhism in the region. The Gilgit Manuscripts, some of the earliest Buddhist texts, were discovered in 1931 in birch bark near the same site.
The eastern half of the story runs through Baltistan. The Manthal Buddha Rock, also a large rock carving, is dated to the 8th or 9th century. During this time, Tibetan expansion came to the area, hence Baltistan's nickname Little Tibet. The Balti language is a Tibetic language and for many centuries has been written in a script derived from Tibetan.
Islam Arrives Valley by Valley
Between the 14th and 16th centuries, Islam came to the valleys at the hands of preachers from Kashmir, Persia, and Central Asia without the influence of the sword. This means that Islam came to the valleys at different times and through different routes, and this explains the variety of religions and sects present, such as the Shia sect in Baltistan and parts of Gilgit, the Noorbakhshi sect in Ghanche and Khaplu, the followers of Ismaili in Hunza, Gojal, and Ghizer, and the Sunni in Diamer and Chilas.
This diversity is very old and follows the old paths almost accurately.
The Small Kingdoms
For many centuries, there were many small kingdoms rather than one single kingdom. The Trakhan Line ruled over Gilgit, while the Maqpon dynasty ruled over Skardu. The territory of the Maqpon dynasty extended to Baltistan, Chitral, and Ladakh. The mirdoms of Hunza and Nagar were located on opposite sides of the river, with hostile relations, to the point of shouting at each other.
Khaplu and Shigar also had ruling families of their own. Baltit and Altit got their names from Karimabad. The Forts of the Valley were all restored, and now one of the hotels is a museum. Khaplu Palace, Ghanche, Khaplu Fort, and Altit Fort. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture restored all four Forts in the 1990s.
Dogras, the British and the Great Game
In 1846, the British sold Jammu and Kashmir to Gulab Singh. The Dogra army went further north, into Baltistan and Gilgit. The British followed for the same reasons as in earlier campaigns: the Russians. The British opened a political agency in Gilgit in 1877 and, due to the Russian situation in Central Asia, withdrew and re-established it in 1889. By 1891, a British-led expedition moved to the frontier and subjugated Hunza and Nagar, ending the long-standing raiding policy of the Hunza state on the Central Asian trade routes. The Gilgit Scouts, a local paramilitary force under the political agent, were formed in 1913.
The British leased Gilgit for sixty years in March 1935 from the Maharaja of Kashmir, which marginalized the authority of the Maharaja of Kashmir and put the entire frontier region under direct British rule.
1947
The lease was prematurely terminated on July 30, 1947, and control of Gilgit was ceded back to the administration of the Maharaja of Kashmir before the Partition, with Ghansara Singh appointed as the new governor.
In November 1947, the Gilgit Scouts, under the command of Major William Brown, detained the newly appointed governor and, on the next day, hoisted the flag of Pakistan in Gilgit. The states of Hunza and Nagar had already sent accession letters to the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. A political agent from Pakistan arrived in Gilgit in mid-November and took control of the administration.
The Karachi Agreement of April 28, 1949, delegated administrative authority of the region to the federal government of Karachi, and the region was governed as a separate territory no longer belonging to any province. The dynastic rule of the princely states of Hunza and Nagar ended in 1974.
The road that changed everything
Prior to the 1970s, Gilgit could only be reached via small aircraft or by a several-day drive on an inadequate jeep track. The construction of the Karakoram Highway completely transformed the region. With construction led by both Pakistani and Chinese teams from the mid-1960s and taking over a decade, and at an estimated cost of hundreds of lives, the Highway was opened to the public in 1986.
Almost everything that came after the Highway's construction was built, or could be built, on that road. This includes trade with China via Sost, the movement of people from the valleys and tourists to the valleys, the expansion of Gilgit and Aliabad, and the ability to travel from Islamabad to Hunza in a single day. The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, which operated across these valleys from the early 1980s, worked to create the other half of the story, especially regarding improvements in schooling and education and literacy that exceed those in most of the country.
From Northern Areas to Gilgit-Baltistan
For years, this region was run without a legislature. There was a council with limited authority in the 90s. The Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order of 2009 created a governor, chief minister, and a legislature by renaming the Northern Areas, and then a subsequent order was issued in 2018.
The state of the region’s constitution has not been established. Gilgit-Baltistan is administered by Pakistan and is claimed by India as part of the broader Jammu and Kashmir controversy. Previous administrations in Islamabad have proposed temporary provincial status, but nothing has been finalized. The local political discourse has been long and is recommended to read if interested in the topic.
Where you can see all of this
The history is not in museums; it’s next to the road.
The Shatial and Thalpan rock carvings are a short walk from the KKH (Karakoram Highway) near Chilas. Kargah Buddha is a twenty-minute drive from Gilgit. Manthal is three kilometers from Skardu on the Satpara road. The Baltit and Altit Forts above Karimabad are both open to visitors. Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace also host guests. Further south in Swat, the Butkara Stupa and Swat Museum and Taxila are quick stops from the road up from Islamabad.
Know what you are looking at. An unmarked boulder by the river is an unmarked boulder by the river.
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