Ghanche District (; ) is a district of Pakistan-administered

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...

in the

disputed Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an oppo ...

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of

and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the

tertiary sources A tertiary source is an index or textual consolidation of already published Primary source, primary and secondary sources

(a) through (e), reflecting due weight in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (h) through (i) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (j) below).
(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories.";
(b) (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state.";
(c) C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947";
(d) Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China."
(e) Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir.";
(f)
(g)
(h) Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million.), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control."
(i) Quote: "Kashmir’s identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised “Line of Control” still separating Pakistani-held Azad (“Free”) Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir.";
(j) Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'."

Geography

It is the eastern-most district of Gilgit-Baltistan. It is the coldest place within

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

as it is situated on the "third pole", with temperatures reaching below -20 °C in the winter. The

Khaplu Valley Khaplu (Urdu: , pronounced: əpluː Balti: ཁཔ་ལུ།), also spelt Khapalu, is a city that serves as the administrative capital of the Ghanche District in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, within the disputed Kashmir region. Loc ...

and the

Hushe Valley Hushe Valley (; ) is a valley in Ghanche District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Formed by the Hushe River, the valley runs from Masherbrum Mountain (at 7,821 meters) and nearby glaciers south to the Shyok River, opposite Khaplu. Hushe village li ...

form the gateway for the great

Baltoro Muztagh The Baltoro Muztagh (, ) is a subrange within the Karakoram mountain range. It spans across the Baltistan region of Gilgit-Baltistan, which is the northernmost political entity of Pakistan, and extends into Xinjiang, China. The crest of this rang ...

, the subrange of the

Karakoram Mountains The Karakoram () is a mountain range in the Kashmir region spanning the border of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwestern extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range is withi ...

that includes the mighty peaks of K2 (8,611 m),

Broad Peak Broad Peak (; ) is one of the eight-thousanders, and is located in the Karakoram range spanning Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China. It is the 12th highest mountain in the world with elevation above sea level. The first ascent of t ...

(8,047 m), the Gasherbrums (8,000+ m) and

Masherbrum Masherbrum, formerly known as K1, is a mountain located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of the Karakoram mountain range. It has an elevation of 7,821 metres (25,659 feet), ranking as the 22nd highest mountain in the world and the 9th highest ...

(7,821 m). Overall less than half the area of district is covered by forests, and a major portion is permanently snow covered.

Etymology

Gilgit-Baltistan map with tehsils labelled

The word "gang" in the

Balti language Balti (Perso-Arabic script: , Tibetan script: སྦལ་ཏི།, ) is a Tibetic language natively spoken by the ethnic Balti people in the Baltistan region of Gilgit-Baltistan, Nubra Valley of the Leh district and in the Kargil distric ...

means "glacier", and '"che" is used as a superlative term to indicate "an abundance". The word is used by the residents of the

in the name of the Ghanche Nallah, a seasonal stream which flows through the town of

Khaplu Khaplu (Urdu: , pronounced: əpluː Balti: ཁཔ་ལུ།), also spelt Khapalu, is a city that serves as the administrative capital of the Ghanche District in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, within the disputed Kashmir region. Lo ...

during the summer season. When the Pakistani government elevated the status of the Ghanche Tehsil to that of a district, the people of the valley willingly selected the name "Ghanche".

Administration

The Ghanche District is divided into Six tehsils: * Khaplu Tehsil * Daghoni Tehsil * Masherbrum Tehsil * Chorbat Tehsil * Ghowari Tehsil * Keris Tehsil The six tehsils are divided into 56 union councils, with each council containing many villages. Four villages of the

Chorbat Valley Chorbat Valley (, ) is a section of the Shyok river valley divided between Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan and Indian-administered Ladakh. The Pakistan-administered portion is in the Khaplu tehsil of Ghanche District in Gilgit–Baltista ...

were lost in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Those were the villages of

Chalunka Chalunka (also known as Chalunkha or Chulungkha) is a small mountainous village, in Nubra tehsil and Turtuk community development block, in Chorbat area of Shyok River valley in Ladakh, India. At the end of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, i ...

, Thang,

Turtuk Turtuk is a village and the headquarters of an eponymous Community development block in India, community development block in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It is a small village sandwiched between the Karakoram, Karakorum Range and the ...

, and

Tyakshi Takshi, also known as Tyakshi or Tyaqsi, is a remote village in Nubra valley, located on the banks of the Shayok River in the Leh district of UT Ladakh, India. It lies in the historical Chorbat Valley of the Baltistan region, which was divid ...

. . Some of them are given in the chart below.

Religion

The majority of the people living in Ghanche District belong to

Noorbakshia Noorbakhshia or Nurbakhshia (Persian: نوربخشیه) is a distinct sect that places significant emphasis on the concept of Muslim unity and on "Fiqh ul Ahwat" (which delves into Islamic jurisprudence), a concept by Muhammad Nurbakhshi. The N ...

Sufi Islam, with the rest belonging to the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

and

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

sects. A religious leader locally called a "bowa" has a very important place in Ghanche society.

Tourism

Ghanche is one of the most visited tourist destination in Pakistan. Famous places to visit in Ghanche are: *

Barah valley The Barah Valley is a village in Gilgit Baltistan. Barah Valley is 100 km from Skardu in the east. The valley is located on the bank of Shyok river in the Khaplu, (Ghanche District) of Baltistan. Ethnography The people are Balti and mos ...

* Chaqchan Mosque *

(K2 Gateway) * Thalay valley *

Yabgo palace Khaplu Palace, locally known as Yabgo Khar, is an old fort and palace located in Khaplu, a city in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The palace, considered an architectural heritage site and a significant tourist attraction, was built in the mid-19t ...

Keris * Aastana Mir Mukhtar Keris (Tomb) *

Balghar Ranga Balghar () is a village situated in Ghanche District, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan, along the banks of the Shyok River. The confluence of the Shyok River and the Indus River occurs to the west of Balghar. Balghar encompasses 15 distinct neighb ...

Crystal Lake Soga A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosco ...

* Dongsa Rock View Point Kuro *

Frano Border Frano may refer to: * Frånö, a village in Sweden * Frano (given name) Frano is a Croatian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Frano Bakarić, Croatian sprinter * Frano Botica, New Zealand-Croatian rugby coach and play ...

(Last village on Pakistan/Indian border) *

Gyari Yadgar e Shuhada An alphabetical list of populated places, including cities, towns, and villages, in the Tibet Autonomous Region of western China. A *Alamdo *Alhar *Arza *Asog B * Baga *Bagar * Baidi *Baima *Baimai *Baixoi *Bamda *Banag *Banbar *Banggaid ...

Haldi Coneas Haldi may refer to: * Ḫaldi, an Urartian god * Haldi, Baltistan, a village in Pakistan * Haldi, Estonia, a village * Haldi River, a river in West Bengal, India * Turmeric (''haldi'' in Indic languages), a spice ** Haldi (ceremony), application ...

Hot Spring Kondus Hot commonly refers refer to: *Heat, a hot temperature *Pungency, in food, a spicy or hot quality Hot or HOT may also refer to: Places *Hot district, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand ** Hot subdistrict, a sub-district of Hot Distric ...

Jerba So Keris Djerba (; , ; ), also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is a Tunisian island and the largest island of North Africa at , in the Gulf of Gabès, off the coast of Tunisia. Administratively, it is part of Medenine Governorate. The island had ...

(Lake) *

Keris Valley View Point The kris or is a Javanese asymmetrical dagger with a distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although many have straight ...

(Chanma) * Khashal Agri Tourism Park Ghowari * Machulu Valley * Mashbrum View Point *

Saling Spangtoq Saling may refer to: * Saling, Missouri - an unincorporated community in Audrain County, in the U.S. state of Missouri * Saling, Pakistan - a village of Ghanche District, Pakistan * Saling Gewog - a gewog (village block) of Mongar District, Bhut ...

(Trout Fish) * Thoqsi Khar Khaplu * Yabgo Palace Khaplu (Sereena Palace)

Education

According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017, Ghanche is ranked 29th out of 141 districts in terms of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district is ranked 118th out of 155.

References

{{Gilgit–Baltistan Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan