Being an Gbian

THE NORTHERN AREAS

(GILGIT BALTISTAN)

Gilgit-Baltistan (Urdu: گلگت بلتستان‎), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is the northernmost territory administered by Pakistan.It borders Azad Kashmir to the south, the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west, the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the north, the Xinjiang region of China, to the east and northeast, and the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir to the southeast.

Gilgit-Baltistan is part of the greater Kashmir region, which is the subject of a long-running conflict between Pakistan and India. The territory shares a border with Azad Kashmir, together with which it is referred to by the United Nations and other international organisations as "Pakistan administered Kashmir". Gilgit-Baltistan is six times the size of Azad Kashmir. The territory also borders Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir state to the south and is separated from it by the Line of Control, the de factoborder between India and Pakistan.

The territory of present-day Gilgit-Baltistan became a separate administrative unit in 1970 under the name "Northern Areas". It was formed by the amalgamation of the former Gilgit Agency, the Baltistan district and several small former princely states, the larger of which being Hunza and Nagar. In 2009, it was granted limited autonomy and renamed to Gilgit-Baltistan via the Self-Governance Order signed by Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, which also aimed to empower the people of Gilgit-Baltistan. However, scholars state that the real power rests with the governor and not with chief minister or elected assembly. The population of Gilgit-Baltistan wants to be merged into Pakistan as a separate fifth province and opposes integration with Kashmir. The Pakistani government has rejected Gilgit-Baltistan calls for integration with Pakistan on the grounds that it would jeopardise its demands for the whole Kashmir issue to be resolved according to UN resolutions.

Gilgit-Baltistan covers an area of over 72,971 km² (28,174 sq mi) and is highly mountainous. It had an estimated population of 1,800,000 in 2015.Its capital city is Gilgit (population 216,760 est). Gilgit-Baltistan is home to five of the "eight-thousanders" and to more than fifty peaks above 7,000 meters (23,000 ft). Three of the world's longest glaciers outside the polar regions are found in Gilgit-Baltistan. The main tourism activities are trekking and mountaineering, and this industry is growing in importance.

IMRAN KHANS SPEECH ON GILGIT BALTISTAN

“We will bring neutral umpire in politics”, he said. Imran Khan while terming the interim set up of Gilgit-Baltistan as unconstitutional said that the masses should have to stand up against this set up. He said if PTI have chance then it will change the system in GB.

Addressing Gilgit-Baltistan Youth Wing convention organized by PTI, Imran Khan said the people of Gilgit-Baltistan are most deprived of their rights, adding that the youth of Gilgit-Baltistan has decided to stand against the status quo.

He claimed that majority of politicians in the parliament don’t even know about Gilgit-Baltistan and that the area that is away from the center is oft forgotten.

PTI chairman said both major parties would take turns to ‘loot’ the country if there was no PTI. He said the appointment of governor in Gilgit-Baltistan shows the intention of the ruling PML-N party.

SOME BEAUTIFUL CLICKS OF NORTHERN AREAS