Sectarianism continues to be a challenging problem in Gilgit-Baltistan, a area found in northern Pakistan, building peace a distant aspiration for the neighborhood inhabitants. Inspite of a period of relative relaxed, the region is now the moment all over again encountering rigorous sectarian clashes.
Demographically, the believed inhabitants of one.5 million in the space is composed of four distinctive denominations of Islam, particularly Shiite (39 for every cent), Sunni (27 for each cent), Ismaili (18 per cent), and Noorbakshi (16 for each cent). It features a multitude of ethnic and linguistic teams, numbering no less than twenty-4.
Religiously inspired violence has emerged as a fairly current phenomenon in Gilgit-Baltistan. This prevalence can be attributed to a blend of variables, particularly demographic transformations, and greater exposure to religious extremism common in mainland Pakistan. It is significant to recognize that Gilgit-Baltistan has not remained unaffected by major situations these types of as the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, the policy of Islamization pursued below Standard Zia-ul-Haq’s management in Pakistan, and the Afghan jihad all through the 1980s. These historical occurrences have had a lasting influence on the spiritual landscape of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Notably, in the mountainous region, Gilgit Baltistan, traditionally, the emphasis positioned on ethnic and tribal identities along with longstanding social connections outweighed the importance connected to sectarian affiliations.
Just before the aforementioned countrywide and global geopolitical developments, the people of the region coexisted harmoniously. My father typically recounted stories of fraternity among the Shia and Sunni populations in the place. Specifically, Shia mothers in Gilgit’s city region employed to generously hunting following the Sunni kids and vice versa. However, this at the time tranquil town has now turn into a breeding floor for sectarian conflicts.
Chronological examine on the sectarian violence in the Gilgit Baltistan illustrates that in 1975, the very first incident of sectarian violence took position in Gilgit city. All through a Shia Muharram procession, pictures have been fired at the individuals from a Sunni mosque. This led to the arrest of a Sunni spiritual leader, which in flip sparked riots in Sunni areas located in the Indus valley, south of Gilgit, as very well as in the nearby valleys of Gor, Darel, and Tangir. The Sunnis from these regions threatened to launch an assault on Gilgit. Afterwards, in 1983, a sectarian clash occurred owing to a disagreement in excess of the sighting of the moon. This disagreement pertained to the timing of the conclusion of Ramadan, a month-extended fasting period of time, and the commencement of Eid festivities.
In 1988, a religious militia referred to as mujahedeen, comprising of a huge quantity of fighters (approximated to be above eighty thousand by some accounts), invaded Gilgit. This invasion resulted in a tragic incident wherever additional than seven hundred users of the Shia group have been brutally killed and numerous Shia villages ended up destroyed by fireplace. Shia community of the area try to remember these killings as ‘Jalalabad Massacre’.
Fast forward to the second decade of 21st century, on February 28, 2012, a tragic incident transpired on the Karakoram Highway in the Kohistan district exactly where eighteen Shia pilgrims have been ruthlessly and publicly murdered whilst on their journey back again from Iran. Even further, on 3 April 2012 a different attack left twenty killed in Chilas.
Next the sectarian-primarily based bloodshed marketing campaign in 2012, the location loved a ten years of relative tranquility, with only minimal confrontations transpiring generally on a verbal stage. Yet, beginning in late August 2023, the location was engulfed in sectarian tensions immediately after a Shia cleric built derogatory remarks about the Sahaba Karam (Companions of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH) during a Muharam procession in Skardu Baltistan. Considering that then, every single passing day has been marked by ongoing protests in Gilgit Baltistan. As a result, the community govt created a formal ask for to deploy the military and paramilitary forces in purchase to safeguard the big urban locations of Gilgit Baltistan. The long lasting and instant effects on the socio-economic sphere of Gilgit Baltistan are obvious.
De-tourism tops the record of destructive repercussions ensuing from sectarian clashes. Gilgit Baltistan, acknowledged as a key desired destination for equally domestic and global travellers, has experienced from the ongoing tensions and hostile attitudes amid diverse sects. As a result, visitors are reluctant to visit the area, leading to vacant motels even through the peak tourism months of August and September. Consequently, the tourism sector is closely impacted by sectarianism, posing excellent challenges.
In addition to tourism, the IT sector has set up a potent presence in the area. Both boys and girls are engaged in freelancing to generate cash, which encourages them to keep in the location in its place of traveling to mainland Pakistan. Nonetheless, the wave of sectarian tensions has negatively afflicted freelancers, as the online support has been disrupted all through the location.
Last of all, in the past ten years, there was progress in bridging the divide between Shia and Sunni communities at a societal level. Having said that, it appears that this hole is now widening when once again. For that reason, it is doable for the sociopsychology of persons to be affected by inner thoughts of hatred, a sense of otherness, and enmity.
[Passu Cones, Gilgit Baltistan. Photo by Mobeen Saeed, via Wikimedia Commons]
Deedar Karim belongs to Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan. He is presently operating as a Study Associate at the South Asia Occasions. The sights and thoughts expressed in this short article are those of the writer.
