Sectarian Violence in Gilgit

Abstract Gilgit-Baltistan region is a Shia-majority region, illegally controlled by Pakistan and enjoys semi-provincial status as a part of Pakistan Occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK). Sectarian violence has a long history in Pakistan as well as in Gilgit-Baltistan region. It has increased in the region since the 1980s, especially after the construction of the Karakoram Highway, which connects this region with China and mainland Pakistan. The Islamic revolution of Iran in 1979, General Zia’s policy of Islamization, and the Afghan jihad during the 1980s did not leave this region untouched. The poor economic conditions and the absence of government’s educational institutions have witnessed a mushrooming of madrasas that preach sectarian hatred and extremism. The fragile political system, along with an ineffective judicial system of the region has aggravated the sectarian violence further. All these had a cumulative effect on the promotion of sectarian violence in the region. In such a background, the article is an attempt to analyze the various aspects of sectarian violence in the Gilgit-Baltistan region