Karakoram Province

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Karakoram Province is a proposed autonomous region for the Shi'a Islam-majority areas of northern Pakistan. According to the movement for autonomy in the 1980s, it was to span most of the Karakoram mountain range, covering Gilgit District, Kurram Agency and the Shia majority areas of Punjab and the North-West Frontier Province. However, the Zia Regime violently opposed any religious based movement for autonomy.

Groups supporting autonomy for Karakoram Province

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Khunjerab Pass Mountain pass in Pakistan and China

Khunjerab Pass is a 4,693-meter (15,397 ft)-high mountain pass in the Karakoram Mountains, in a strategic position on the northern border of Pakistan and on the southwest border of China (Xinjiang). Mutsjliga Pass is a 5,314-meter (17,434 ft)-high mountain pass at 36.97374°N 75.2973°E near Khunjerab Pass.

Karakoram Major mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, China, and India

The Karakoram is a mountain range in Kashmir spanning the borders of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of Karakorum mountain range falls under jurisdiction of Gilgit-Baltistan which is controlled by Pakistan. Its highest peak, K2, is located in Gilgit-Baltistan. It begins in the Wakhan Corridor (Afghanistan) in the west, encompasses the majority of Gilgit-Baltistan, and extends into Ladakh and Aksai Chin. It is the second highest mountain range in the world and part of the complex of ranges including the Pamir Mountains, the Hindu Kush and the Himalayan Mountains. The Karakoram has eighteen summits over 7,500 m (24,600 ft) height, with four of them exceeding 8,000 m (26,000 ft): K2, the second highest peak in the world at 8,611 m (28,251 ft), Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II.

Administrative units of Pakistan Provinces and territories under the administrative authority of Pakistan

The administrative units of Pakistan refers to the subnational administrative divisions that play a role in the governance of Pakistan. The country is composed of four provinces and one federal territory: the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, and the federally-administered Islamabad Capital Territory. Additionally, Pakistan also administers two autonomous territories in the disputed region of Kashmir: Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Due to the ongoing Kashmir dispute with neighbouring India, it also claims sovereignty over the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, but has not exercised administrative authority over either region since its independence and subsequent war with India in 1947–1948. All of Pakistan's provinces and territories are subdivided into divisions, which are further subdivided into districts, and then tehsils, which are again further subdivided into union councils.

Baltistan Region of Pakistani-administered Kashmir

Baltistan, also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet, is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit–Baltistan. It is located near the Karakoram and borders Gilgit to the west, China's Xinjiang to the north, Indian-administered Ladakh to the southeast, and the Indian-administered Kashmir Valley to the southwest. The average altitude of the region is over 3,350 metres (10,990 ft). Baltistan is largely administered under the Baltistan Division.

Gilgit Capital city in Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan

Gilgit is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and Hunza River, and is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a hub for trekking and mountaineering expeditions in the Karakoram mountain range.

Karakoram Highway International highway running through Pakistan and China

The Karakoram Highway is a 1,300 km (810 mi) national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in the Punjab province of Pakistan to the Khunjerab Pass in Gilgit-Baltistan, where it crosses into China and becomes China National Highway 314. The highway connects the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa plus Gilgit-Baltistan with China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The highway is a popular tourist attraction and is one of the highest paved roads in the world, passing through the Karakoram mountain range, at 36°51′00″N75°25′40″E at maximum elevation of 4,714 m (15,466 ft) near Khunjerab Pass. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions under which it was constructed, it is often referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World. The highway is also a part of the Asian Highway AH4.

Balawaristan Historic region of Pakistan

Balawaristan, meaning the 'country of heights', is a name used by the Gilgit-Baltistan people to refer to their region. The term was coined by the Pakistani political party Balawaristan National Front, founded by Nawaz Khan Naji, in 1989. But it has its roots in the historical names Bolor or Boloristan, with documented usage in Chinese sources from the 8th century AD. According to the present day activists, 'Balawaristan' includes Chitral, Gilgit, Skardu, Hunza, Nagar, Ishkoman, Punial and Yasin. The leader of BNF Nawaz Khan Naji declared that Balawaristan (Gilgit-Baltistan) is not a part of Kashmir region.

Chilas City in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

Chilas is a city and is the divisional capital of Diamer District located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, on the Indus River. It is part of the Silk Road connected by the Karakoram Highway and N-90 National Highway, which link it to Islamabad and Peshawar in the southwest, via Hazara and Malakand Divisions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In the north, Chilas is connected to the Chinese cities of Tashkurgan and Kashgar in Xinjiang, via Gilgit, Aliabad, Sust, and the Khunjerab Pass.

Diamer District District of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan

The Diamer District, also spelled Diamir District,) is a district in Gilgit-Baltistan territory of Pakistan. The headquarters of the district is the town of Chilas. The district is bounded by on the north by the Tangir and the Gilgit districts, on the east by the Astore District, on the south by the Mansehra district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and the Neelum District of Azad Kashmir, and on the west by the Upper Kohistan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The Karakoram Highway passes through the Diamer District.

Geography of Gilgit-Baltistan

Gilgit-Baltistan has been under Pakistan administration since 1947 and was given self-governing status on August 29, 2009. Gilgit-Baltistan comprises 10 districts within three divisions. The four districts of Skardu Kharmang Shigar and Ghanche are in the Baltistan Division, four districts of Gilgit Ghizer Hunza and Nagar districts which were carved out of Gilgit District are in the Gilgit Division and the third division is Diamir, comprising Chilas and Astore. The main political centres are the towns of Gilgit and Skardu.

Gilgit-Baltistan Region administered by Pakistan

Gilgit-Baltistan, formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an autonomous territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947, and between India and China from somewhat later. 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 union territories Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the southeast.

There are separatist movements in Pakistan which are based on ethnic and regional nationalism, including independence movements in Balawaristan, Sindh and Balochistan. The government of Pakistan has attempted to subdue these separatist movements.

The N–15 or National Highway 15 is a 240-kilometre-long national highway in Pakistan. It connects the city of Mansehra in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to the city of Chilas in the administrative territory of Gilgit–Baltistan. It is often used as a bypass for the Karakoram Highway (N–35) and is popular amongst tourists who visit Naran and its surrounding region.

History of Gilgit-Baltistan

Gilgit Baltistan is an administrative territory of Pakistan that borders the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west, Azad Kashmir to the southwest, Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the northwest, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China to the north, and the Indian administrated region of Jammu and Kashmir to the south and southeast.

Education in Gilgit-Baltistan

Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) is an area which was affiliated with Pakistan in 1948. There was no educational system at the time. Gradually some of the more ambitions students of GB moved toward different cities in search of a better education. Some of them returned to their home after completion of their education, and started teaching their children, thus making people aware of what it was to be literate. They demanded the government build schools in the region, but their demand was neglected because the region didn't have a representative in the senate or National Assembly (Pakistan). After several years, schools were opened in Gilgit-Baltistan and thus its educational system came into being.

Government of Gilgit-Baltistan

The Government of Gilgit-Baltistan is the government of the autonomous territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the 2009 Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order, in which 10 districts come under its authority and jurisdiction. The government includes the cabinet, selected from members the Gilgit–Baltistan Assembly, and the non-political civil staff within each department. The province is governed by a unicameral legislature with the head of government known as the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister, invariably the leader of a political party represented in the Assembly, selects members of the Cabinet. The Chief Minister and Cabinet are thus responsible the functioning of government and are entitled to remain in office so long as it maintains the confidence of the elected Assembly. The head of state of the province is known as the Governor. The terms Government of Gilgit–Baltistan or Gilgit–Baltistan Government are often used in official documents. The seat of government is in Gilgit, thus serving as the capital of the territory.

Tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan Overview of the tourism industry in Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan

Tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan, a dependent territory of Pakistan, focuses on the mountains.

Karakoram International University

Karakoram International University or Karakoram University is an international level university in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It was established in 2002 with a charter from the Federal Government of Pakistan, with the goal of improving access to higher education for the deserved people of Gilgit-Baltistan.

2009 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly election

2009 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Elections was an election held in the province of Gilgit-Baltistan for the first time to elect the first Assembly of Gilgit-Baltistan. Polling took place in 12 November 2009.

2015 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly election

The 2015 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections were held on 8 June 2015. Elections were held in 24 constituencies, each electing one member to the 2nd Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly. 269 candidates contested these elections, either representing one of the political parties of Gilgit-Baltistan or being an independent candidate.

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