Spotlight
Gateway to peace
LUV PURI
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The reopening of the Kargil-Skardu road would allow thousands of divided families easier access to each other besides paving the way for a revival of the Balti culture.
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Photo: Luv Puri
The long wait: The Brogpa tribe of Kargil, whose members live on both sides of the Line of Control.
"I HAVE always dreamt of meeting my loved ones living in Skardu where the other half of my family lives,” says 28-year-old Kamran Ali Khan, a Shia youth who has been trying desperately to meet his Balti-speaking family living in
Northern Areas presently administered by Pakistan. Kamran’s ancestors were brought to the Jammu plains to work as labourers by the forces of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last ruler of the princely State of Jammu and Kashmir as it existed before 1947.
Opening soon
Kamran’s dream may come true as the Pakistan government has accepted an Indian government proposal during the recently concluded Foreign Secretaries meet to open the Kargil-Skardu road — once South Asia’s gateway to Central Asia. As I crossed the 11,000 feet Zojila Pass and entered the trans-Himalayan range of Ladakh, I found the divide is much more intense and there is a strong demand for the reopening of land routes which were blocked in 1947. Aslam Hussain, a Balti-speaking Shia, has been waiting to meet his son living in Skardu, situated across the Line of Control, for more than five decades. As I move to the areas near the Line of Control, the demand is even greater and the number of divided households also multiply. At Hundurman village, which is situated near the Line of Control, almost every household has a relative living in Brolmo village of the Northern Areas.
Circuitous route
How important is the Skardu-Kargil road for the people living in Kargil and Northern Areas? At present, the divided families living in Ladakh and in various parts of the State whose relatives live in Northern Areas have to travel thousands of kilometers via the Wagah route in Punjab on the international border or use the five LOC crossing points which have been agreed upon by India and Pakistan. A person making the journey from Kargil at present has to travel at least 1,500 km to reach their respective destinations in Northern Areas across the LoC. The long distance and the political factors in practice means that the divided families have not met for decades. The only mode of communication are letters and telephone calls from Northern Areas as no telephone call can be made to the other side from this belt.
The preparation of local administration for the opening of the Kargil-Skardu road is almost complete. Keeping in mind the distinct character of Leh and Kargil districts of the Ladakh region, a separate political and administration system runs here. After the success of the Autonomous Hill Development Council in Leh set up in 1995, it was replicated in Kargil in 2003.The Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council has already carried an initial survey based on revenue records, which has revealed that the main Skardu town, where most of the Balti-speaking divided families reside, is 132.5 km from Kargil and can be reached within six hours as compared to present journey of more than three to four days. Asghar Ali Karbalai, Chief Executive Councillor of the Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council, the democratically-elected main policy-making authority, told me that his people are delighted that ultimately Confidence Buildings Measures between India and Pakistan have also included the democratic aspirations of the people of Ladakh. He adds that his administration is quite prepared for the opening of the road.
Cultural ramifications
Beyond the obvious benefit to the divided families, the opening of the Skardu-Kargil road would have large scale ramifications for the isolated people of this cold desert. Already there is a palpable excitement among the Balti-speaking families that the opening of the new route would enable them to revive their common culture. Balti culture, which binds the Kargil and Skardu belt, is already undergoing a process of revival. Good quality music cassettes produced in the Balti language in Ladakh are in great demand in the Northern Areas. Khadim Hussain, a popular singer of Kargil, has become a rage and thousands of his cassettes have made their way across the Line of Control. Traditional Balti dishes Marzan, Sha-Chu and Scrubbalay are popular on both sides of the LOC. There is also expectation that the opening of the road would boost the economy of Ladakh region which remains cut off from rest of the country for six to eight months as the area lies on the ancient Silk Route.
The Majority of the people in both Kargil and Northern Areas are Shias and have distinct religious practices which are different from the rest of the Sunni Muslim dominated State of Jammu and Kashmir. At present, the Shia clergy and students from both sides meet each other in Iran as it provides them a common platform to exchange ideas. Nasir Munshi, A Councillor of the Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council, says, “Culturally we are closer to the people in Northern Areas than to rest of the State due to obvious factors and the road would enable us to promote our culture.” The opening of the Kargil-Skardu road would again bring back the spotlight on the belt which for centuries has remained a confluence of civilisations. At the same time, a multi-cultural India would come to know better the rich cultural diversity on its fringes.
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