General Musharraf has recently announced a special dispensation for the Northern Areas of Pakistan, the people of which had been agitating for their basic rights for quite sometime. However, the concessions announced may appear as only half a glass of water given to the thirsty who may call it half full or half empty. For the people looking at these legislative and other measures positively, these may appear as half full while as for those looking at these negatively, these appear half empty. In any case, these indicate a forward movement and some of the leaders of Northern Areas have welcomed it as a good beginning towards total empowerment. The story of the people inhabiting this region is like Kashmir, a comic tragedy. In 1947 on first of November they overthrew the Dogra control and voluntarily opted for accession to Pakistan. They had dreamt of a prosperous future and a transparent administration based on the tenets of Islam. They did not have to wait for long to know that their dream was nothing but a nightmare. Ironically they have been celebrating first of November as the deliverance and Independence Day. However, in practice for them it has been a mere change from Dogra cruelty to the bondage of Pakistan bureaucracy. The region was originally a territory comprising of several principalities ruled by independent Kings, Rajas, and Mirs. The area was conquered by Dogras in 1860 and they established a Wazarat in Gilgit in 1866. The State of Jammu & Kashmir during the time of Ranbir Singh was supposed to consist of four divisions. Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh (including Baltistan), and Gilgit and frontier Ilaqas. The frontier Ilaqas comprised of Hunza, Nagar, Punial, Yasin, Kuh, Gizar, Ishkomen, and Chilas. In 1870 the Russian Empire had conquered most of the Central Asian States and there was a visible movement towards Pamirs. The British sent one of their officers Colonel John Biddulph to be stationed as a Political Agent in Gilgit. In 1880, the British considered invasion of India by Russians through this area a very strong possibility. This assessment was reinforced by the visit of a Russian Political Officer to Hunza. This prompted British to send a strong force to the area under the command of Colonel Durand who conquered and consolidated various principalities and brought these under the control of the British Empire. After 1893 the administration of the region was divided between the Political Agent representing the British Empire, and the Wazir Wazarat representing the Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir. This dual administration of the area continued till 1935. However, the Bolshevik Revolution and the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics alarmed the British and they feared a Russian invasion of India through high passes. They, therefore, decided to take direct control of the region. Consequently a lease agreement of 60 years was signed with the Maharaja of Kashmir in March, 1935. A British Political Agent took over the administration of the region and it was declared as an agency. To safeguard the area a special force was raised and it was named the Gilgit Scouts.

At the time of the partition of India, the British had intended to hand over the control of the region to Maharaja of Kashmir which would ultimately make it a part of India. However, the local people were against this merger. The British as per their treaty of 1935 asked the Maharaja to take over the control of the region. The Maharaja sent Brigadier Ghansara Singh as the Governor of Gilgit. Brigadier Ghansara Singh on reaching Gilgit took control of the Governors House. The British flag was replaced by the State flag. A week long Jalsa (celebration) was held. During this period some Muslim Officers led by Major Mirza Hassan Khan had a meeting in the house of Captain Said Durrani and formed an underground Revolutionary Council. Major Hassan was made Chairman and Captain Durrani Deputy Chairman. It was resolved that if Maharaja acceded to India, a coup d’état would be staged in Gilgit and Bunji. As soon as the news about the Maharaja signing the Instrument of Accession to India on October 26 reached Gilgit, the preparations for the coup were started and on the evening of October 31 the plan was put into action. Gilgit Scouts took control of Gilgit and imprisoned the Governor Brigadier Ghansara Singh. Gradually entire region was taken over by the rebels who reached as far as Gurez. However, due to mismanagement and dereliction by Brigadier Aslam Khan they lost Gurez to Indian counter offensive. In the meantime, the leaders of the coup dissolved the provisional administration which they had set up to allow Sardar Muhammad Alam to take over as the first Political Agent of Pakistan Government. The object of the uprising had been to overthrow the Dogra regime and replace it by Pakistan. People of the region had joined Pakistan with great expectations. They had visualised their area becoming a full fledged province of Pakistan like Punjab and Sindh. However, the Government of Pakistan designated the region as Northern Areas and ruled the area like the British through a political agent who was subsequently designated as Commissioner Northern Areas. The entire region was put under the direct control of Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas who ruled it from Rawalpindi/Islamabad. The first political agent filled most of the vacancies in the Agency Office by his friends and sub-ordinates from the revenue cadre of North West Frontier Province. This was the beginning of movement of Pathans from Peshawar and other places to Gilgit. Political Agent after Agent followed and each was more corrupt and debauch than his predecessor. People of Gilgit got the shock of their lives. This was not what they had bargained for. To divert attention from unrest against the Federal Government local ethnic conflicts were engineered. This area has a mixed population. There are Sunnis, Shias, Ismailis, and Noorbukhshis. Gilgit has 60% Shias and 40% Sunnis. Hunza, Nagar, Punial, Yasin, Ishkomen, and Gupis have 100% Ismailis. Chilas, Darel, Tangir are 100% Sunni areas. Astore is 90% Sunni and 10% Shia. Baltistan is 98% Shia plus Noorbukhshi and 2% Sunni. There have been frequent clashes between Sunnis and Shias and these increased after the influx of Pathans. Most of the rulers of Pakistan completely neglected the area. The only leader whom the people of Gilgit consider their benefactor, saviour, and liberator is late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He instituted far reaching reforms in the region. He abolished the centuries old rule of Mires and Rajas. Declared the area as a division and named it “Northern Areas of Pakistan”. The post of Political Agent was abolished and a Commissioner was posted there. Five new districts were created. Local bodies consisting of institutions based on adult franchise were created. These included Northern Areas Council, District and Union Councils, and Municipalities. Bhutto signed an agreement with China which paved the way for construction of Karakoram Highway connecting Pakistan with China by land. The highway which was started in 1972 was completed in 1978. Its opening gave an economic boost to the area. Trade as well as tourism especially adventure tourism involving mountaineering and trekking developed to a great extent. General Zia-ul-haq not only imposed martial law in the area but instigated the invasion of Afghan lashkeries to Gilgit. They looted, plundered, and pillaged Shia Muslims in the area. His contribution to the area was general plunder. The other leaders like Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif virtually made zero contribution to the area. Their only contribution was to enjoy the mountain scenery of the area and watch Polo matches at Shundur. Thus General Musharraf’s initiative is the first positive contribution after a long period of unrest. It may not fulfil all the aspirations of the local people, yet it can be termed as a positive step. The basic demand of locals is to get equal rights as enjoyed by all other Pakistanis. At present they are neither state subjects of Jammu & Kashmir nor full fledged Pakistanis. The Government of Pakistan Administered Kashmir has never owned them. Nor has the Government of Pakistan given them full rights. Pakistanis seem to be facing a dilemma. If they give complete status of a province with local Chief Minister to the area thereby fully integrating it with the rest of Pakistan, they will be violating UN Resolutions which hold the entire erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir as disputed. In the alternative, the growing unrest bodes ill for this most strategic area which is Pakistan’s Gateway to Central Asia and China. The General has found a via media of self-rule in keeping with his four point proposal for solving Kashmir problem. The people of Northern Areas were envious of the Hill Councils of Ladakh on this side of the border. However, with the new dispensation they have gone a step ahead of these. In this respect the glass may not seem to be half empty but rather half full and may be on way to getting completely filled soon provided the General is fully back in the saddle. The initiative has once again thrown the ball in the Indian court and the people will be keenly watching their future moves in this regard.