Ghizer District (2019–)

Ghizer District is a district of Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan region in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary 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'." It is one of the 14 districts of Gilgit-Baltistan. The former Ghizer District that existed from 1974 to 2019 spanned the entire upper Gilgit River Valley (also known as the Ghizer River Valley). In 2019, the former district was divided into the Gupis-Yasin District in the west and the present, smaller Ghizer District in the east.

History
Before inclusion in Gilgit Agency by the British, the area was part of Chitral under Kho Khushwaqt Mehtar ("ruler").

Geography


The Ghizer District is bounded on the north by the Upper Chitral District of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and the Wakhan District of Afghanistan's Badakhshan Province, on the east by the Hunza District, the Nagar District, and the Gilgit District, on the south by the Tangir District, on the south-west by the Darel District, and on the west by the Gupis-Yasin District.

The highest peak of Ghizer District is Koyo Zom (6,871 m) (Hindu Kush Range range), which lies on the boundary between Ghizer District and Chitral.

Some of the main places in the district are Koh-i-Ghizer, Ishkoman and Yasin valleys. Other places include Gupis, Chatorkhand, Imit, Pingal, Shahmaran and Utz.

Some of the passes in the district are:


 * Bichhar Pass (on the boundary of Ghizer and Gilgit Districts)
 * Chillingi Pass
 * Hayal Pass and Naltar Pass (on the boundary of Ghizer and Gilgit Districts)
 * Kalandar Pass

The main river in the district is the Gilgit River. The other tributaries include the Qurumbar River, Phakora River, Hayal River, Singul River and Yasin River, Phander river tributary which also joins the main stream at different points.

Administration
The present Ghizer District consists of two tehsils:


 * Ishkoman Tehsil
 * Punial Tehsil

The district headquarters is the town of Gahkuch.

Education
According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings of 2015, Ghizer was ranked 10 out of 148 districts in terms of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district was ranked 17 out of 148. The biggest contribution in the region in education is "Agha Khan Education Service Pakistan"(AKESP).