From Subjugation to Extinction A Tragic History of The Indigenous People of Gilgit-Baltistan
Amir Wali Khan
Volume 19, Number 2 (2020) 19 (2): 7-23
Keywords Geology, environment, rock art, human trade, India, Pakistan, China, colonization, human rights
Abstract
Gilgit-Baltistan, one of the most mountainous regions on Earth, has been home to ancient peoples with a fascinating and unique culture and traditions. It is in a strategically located territory at the crossroads of some of the world’s powerful empires. Far from a blessing, its strategic location has attracted endless suffering for its people. They have become sandwiched between expansionist and hostile colonial powers for centuries. Now Gilgit-Baltistan is left divided between the new colonial masters, India and Pakistan since the partition of the Subcontinent in 1947.
In this article, I discuss the geological history of the land, ancient geographic features of the national territory of the historic Gilgit-Baltistan, and the fatally adverse consequences of colonization on culture, biodiversity, and political life of the people introduced by the British and then carried on by Pakistan. Based on his analysis, the author warns the new geostrategic development may lead to an ‘extinction crisis’ of the ancient people of the region and leave with irreparable damage to its sensitive ecology.
Amir Wali Khan
Published January 1, 2020
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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