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The Gilgit Scouts constituted a
paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
force of the Gilgit Agency in northern
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
. They were raised by the government of British India in 1913, on behalf of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, to police the northern frontier of India. In November 1947, under the command of Major W. A. Brown, the Gilgit Scouts overthrew the Governor of Gilgit appointed by the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, and declared accession to
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. The Muslim element of the State Forces joined the rebels and executed the non-Muslim troops. Colonel Aslam Khan was given the command of the force by the
Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger K ...
provisional government. The combined force conquered Skardu (the capital of
Baltistan Baltistan ( ur, ; bft, སྦལ་ཏི་སྟཱན, script=Tibt), also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet ( bft, སྦལ་ཏི་ཡུལ་།, script=Tibt), is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gil ...
) and threatened
Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu a ...
, leading to the eventual formation of
Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...
which continues to be under Pakistani control. The force of Gilgit Scouts was continued by Pakistan till 1975 when it was integrated into the
Northern Light Infantry The Northern Light Infantry Regiment (NLI) is a light infantry regiment in the Pakistan Army, based and currently headquartered in Gilgit, Pakistan. Along with other forces of the Pakistani military, the NLI has the primary responsibility of con ...
of the
Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...
.


History


Antecedents

The Gilgit Agency was originally defended by the Imperial Service Troops provided by the Maharaja of
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
and placed under the command of the Agency. A few contingents of British Indian troops and 14 British officers were added in 1891. Levies from Punial were also present earlier. After the
Hunza–Nagar Campaign __NOTOC__ The Hunza–Nagar Campaign was fought in 1891 by troops of the British Raj against the princely states of Hunza (princely state), Hunza and Nagar (princely state), Nagar in the Gilgit Agency (now part of the Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan ...
in 1891, and the pacification of
Chilas Chilas ( ur, ) 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 I ...
and
Chitral Chitral ( khw, , lit=field, translit=ćhitrār; ur, , translit=ćitrāl) is situated on the Chitral River in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Chitral District and before that as the capital of Chitral ...
, the British Indian troops were gradually reduced, and replaced by new levies from Hunza,
Nagar Nagar ( -nagar) can refer to: Places Bangladesh * Nagar, Rajshahi Division, a village * Nagar, Barisal Division, a settlement India * Nagar taluka, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra State * Nagar, Murshidabad, a village in West Bengal * Nagar, Rajasthan ...
and Punial.


Formation

In 1913, the local levies were replaced by a permanent body of troops on a
company A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared ...
basis, under the name "Gilgit Scouts". The force was paid for by the state of
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
, but commanded by British officers under the control of the British Political Agent at Gilgit. The initial strength of Gilgit Scouts was 656 men. They were organised into 8 companies of 80 men each. Each company had two native officers, a Subedar and a Jamadar. The force had no connection to the
Jammu and Kashmir State Forces Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of , ...
, but became part of the
Frontier Corps The Frontier Corps ( ur, , reporting name: FC), are a group of paramilitary forces of Pakistan, operating in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to maintain law and order while overseeing the country's borders with Afghanist ...
, along with
Chitral Scouts The Chitral Scouts (''CS'') ( ur, چترال سکاوٹس), also known as Chitral Levies, originally raised in 1903 as the militia of the princely state of Chitral, is now part of the Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North) of Pakistan. They are ...
,
Kurram Militia The Kurram Militia is a paramilitary regiment of the Frontier Corps of Pakistan. It was originally raised by the British in 1892 to operate in the North-West Frontier Province, and carried in that role following Pakistan's independence in 1947. F ...
and other local forces. The recruits were from all areas of the Gilgit Agency and had the advantage of local knowledge. They were also acclimatised to local climate and the harsh mountain terrain. They were responsible for maintaining local order as well as monitoring foreign activity along the northern borders. The recruitment in the Gilgit scouts was based on the recommendation of Mirs and
Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested ...
s of the area. Close relatives of Mirs and Rajas were given direct Viceroy commissions in Gilgit scouts.


First Kashmir War

After the
Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. T ...
, the Gilgit Scouts rebelled against the authority of
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
and participated in the First Kashmir War. According to Major William Brown, its commanding officer, there was a secret plan among a few members of Gilgit Scouts to set up a "Republic of
Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a ...
- Astor(e)" when they ousted the governor of Gilgit representing the Maharaja's government on 1 November 1947. Historian Ahmad Hasan Dani mentions that although there was lack of public participation in the rebellion, pro-Pakistan sentiments were intense in the civilian population and their anti-Kashmiri sentiments were also clear. On 2 November, the Pakistani flag was raised on the old tower in the Gilgit Scout Lines, under the command of Major Brown. On 12 January 1948, the command was handed over to Colonel Aslam Khan the first local commander of the Gilgit Scouts, under the authority of the
Azad Jammu and Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...
proviional government.


Inside Pakistan

After the conclusion of the First Kashmir War, the Gilgit Scouts operated as a paramilitary force in the Northern Areas (now called Gilgit-Baltistan). In 1975, the force was amalgamated into the
Northern Light Infantry The Northern Light Infantry Regiment (NLI) is a light infantry regiment in the Pakistan Army, based and currently headquartered in Gilgit, Pakistan. Along with other forces of the Pakistani military, the NLI has the primary responsibility of con ...
Regiment of the Pakistan Army, where the Gilgit Scouts became the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the regiment.


Gilgit Baltistan Scouts

The force was re-raised in 2003 as the Northern Area Scouts under command of Brigadier Inayat Wali. It quickly progressed and took over the responsibilities of Law and Order in Gilgit Baltistan. January 18, 2011, The Interior Ministry renamed the Northern Areas Scouts as Gilgit Baltistan Scouts, in view of the reforms introduced in the region.Gilgit Baltistan Scouts
(official web page)


See also

* Gilgit Baltistan Scouts * Gilgit Baltistan *
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 t ...


References


Bibliography

* * * * {{citation , last=Snedden , first=Christopher , title=Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s5KMCwAAQBAJ , year=2015 , publisher=Oxford University Press , isbn=978-1-84904-342-7 , ref={{sfnref, Snedden, Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, 2015 Former paramilitary forces of Pakistan History of Gilgit Agency