The turbulence of Srinagar has not found any resonance in the Balti villages on the Line of Control. On a trip to these villages, which were ruled by Pakistan till 1971, THE WEEK found that people here don't want azadi or a return Pakistan, but a better life. And, what unites them is a love for India and Indians.
On September 4, the 57th consecutive day of turbulence in the Kashmir valley, an all-party delegation led by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh touched down in Srinagar, in an attempt to find a solution to the crisis. The overture met with a quick rebuff from the protesters. Separatist leaders did not even let in a group of opposition leaders who tried to meet them at their residences. A day later, violent protests erupted once again across the valley, and the delegation returned to Delhi empty handed.
Yet, despite the seemingly unending waves of protest, it would be a folly to paint the Kashmiri attitudes towards India in monochrome. THE WEEK recently travelled to one of Kashmir's remotest corners—more than 600km northeast of Srinagar—right on the Line of Control. Here, nestled in the lap of the mighty Karakoram ranges, lies a tiny sliver of Baltistan. These five villages—Chalunka, Turtuk, Tyakshi, Panchathang and Thang—which India annexed in 1971, remain to this day an integral part of India, socially, politically and culturally, despite being ruled by Pakistan for nearly a quarter of a century.
Baltistan was historically a part of the Ladakh wazarat (district) of the princely state of Kashmir. But after Maharaja Hari Singh chose to accede to India in October 1947, his representative to the region was overthrown in a coup on November 2, by a handful of British officers, aided by Pakistani soldiers. And, to date, the region remains in an administrative limbo, devoid of the formal status of a province within Pakistan, while India considers it a part of undivided Jammu and Kashmir. More than 95 per cent of the Baltis are Muslims, belonging to Shia, Sunni and Noorbakshia sects.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 18, 2016-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
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