About Report
This report explores sectarian conflict in the remote, mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, which until recently was a relatively peaceful enclave in an otherwise volatile part of the world. It was commissioned by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), as part of its mandate to
understand global conflicts in specific contexts
About the Author
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| Izhar Hunzai |
Izhar Hunzai, a native of Gilgit-Baltistan, has a background in community development in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tajikistan, and Indonesia. Awarded a United States Agency for International Development scholarship, Hunzai received a master’s degree in international development from Cornell University in 1990. Until recently, Hunzai was CEO of Aga Khan Rural Support Program, operating in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Chitral district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
About the Institute
The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent conflicts, promote postconflict peacebuilding, and increase conflict management tools, capacity, and intellectual capital worldwide.
The Institute does this by empowering others with
knowledge, skills, and resources, as well as by its direct
involvement in conflict zones around the globe.
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| United States Institute of Peace |
Summary
• Gilgit-Baltistan, a historically distinct political entity near the disputed region of Jammu and
Kashmir, is located at the junction of China, Central and South Asia, and Afghanistan.
• Ideally situated for trade and commerce, its geography also makes it vulnerable to spillover
of conflicts from active militant movements in surrounding areas.
• Pakistan is home to the largest concentration of Shia Muslims outside Iran, and Gilgit-
Baltistan is the only Shia-majority region in the Sunni-majority country.
• Tensions between Shia and Sunni communities have increased since the 1980s, especially
after the construction of the Karakoram Highway, which connects this previously isolated
region with China and mainland Pakistan.
• The first serious sectarian violence in Gilgit broke out in 1983. In 1988, a rumor alleging a
Sunni massacre at the hands of Shias resulted in an attack by thousands of armed tribesmen
from the south, the killing of nearly four hundred Shias, and the burning of several
Shia villages.
• In 2012, sectarian violence surged again, triggered by a quick succession of well-organized killings
targeting Shia travelers on the two routes that connect Gilgit-Baltistan with Islamabad but
including others. As many as sixty have been killed. The ensuing retaliatory killings in Gilgit town
and suburbs, by armed militants on both sides, have added to the carnage and fear.
• A peaceful Gilgit-Baltistan is essential for regional stability and development.
• One possible way forward to reduce the conflict and counter growing militancy in the wider
region is to strengthen governance systems and processes to establish inclusive policies for
equitable development and redress long-held grievances
You can download this report by clicking on the marked link below
Conflict Dynamics in Gilgit Baltistan PDF USIFP REPORT
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