Fazle Haq Khayrabadi: An Extraordinary Personality

This is an account of the life and works of Fazle Haq Khayrabadi, a great but forgotten Indian Muslim religious scholar and thinker of the 19th century is presented. Coming from a family of great distinction, Fazle Haq Khayrabadi was an author, poet and philosopher who expressed himself in Arabic, Persian and Urdu. Especially relevant is the dedication and fervor with which Khayrabadi participated in all stages of the First Indian War of Independence of 1857 [also termed the Great Mutiny], for which he was exiled to the Andaman Islands by the British rulers of India, where he died in 1862. The remarkable personality of Fazle Haq Khayrabadi [17871862] has been forgotten by an ungrateful nation that does not honour its heroes but instead buries them under the debris of history. A great scholar, familiar with the diverse disciplines in the Islamic sciences, and the Imam of the Khayrabadi school of logic and philosophy, he, also a son the great Fazle Imam Khayrabadi, distinguished himself early for his intellectual prowess and strength of genius. Amazingly, such a scholar, devoted to academics, was also a fighter and participant in the War of Independence of 1857, and a member of the revolutionary council that directed its strategy. For this, he suffered imprisonment at the hands of the vengeful British, who sentenced him to hard labour in the distant Andaman Islands – where he died ‘across the black water’.

Impact of Karakoram Highway on the Socio-Economic Development of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

This study attempts to evaluate the impact Karakoram Highway (KKH) on the socio-economic development of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It is a vast, mountainous and remote area in the extreme north of Pakistan extend between 340 40’ to 370 0’ North latitude and 720 30’ to 780 0’ East longitude. Geographically, the study area (Gilgit-Baltistan) is bounded in the North-West by Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan, China in the North-East, Jammu and Kashmir in the East, Azad Jammu and Kashmir in the South-East, whereas the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan in the south and west. The climate of the region is characterized by warm/hot summer and cool/cold winter. The total area of Gilgit-Baltistan is about 72,496 km2. For the purpose of administration, it has been divided into seven districts i.e. Gilgit, Diamer, Hunza-Nagar, Ghanche, Ghizer, Skardu and Astore. Significance of the area is evident from its geographical location as it is the juncture of Central Asia, China and South Asia. However, this important area remained cut off from the rest of the country (Pakistan) until the inception of Karakoram Highway (KKH) in 1978. Their only source of livelihood was local agricultural production which was insufficient for the whole population. Due to scarcity of victuals large number of people faced starvation during the snowy winter season. The idea of constructing this gigantic highway was proposed after the boundary settlement with China in 1963. Construction of KKH started in 1966 aiming at two main objectives; to link the vast area of Gilgit-Baltistan with the rest of Pakistan and to develop a land route to China. This study is an attempt to sort out impacts of KKH and to answer the question ‘what are the impacts of KKH on the socio-economic development of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan’. To achieve the task four objectives were designed. Primarily, to explore the growth and development of KKH, secondly, to assess the impact of KKH on the socio-economic condition of Gilgit-Baltistan, thirdly, to find out the future prospects of KKH for the socio-economic development of the study area. To carry out this study, six variables including population, land use and agriculture, education, health, trade and tourism were selected and tested. Keeping in view purpose of the study, it was essential to collect all the necessary data for the achievement of objectives. Data were collected both from primary and secondary sources. Data pertaining to selected variables were collected pre and post KKH as available for the whole area. The collected data were analysed and presented in the form of maps, statistical diagrams and tables. The analysis reveals that after the completion of KKH the inhabitants of Gilgit-Baltistan took a sigh of relief and positive changes occurred in the overall socio-economic sectors. It was explored from the analysis that the population of the districts along KKH has increased manifold. The agriculture and livestock sector was a traditional source of livelihood, but after the construction of KKH a paradigm shift has been recorded by introducing modern agricultural techniques and motivation for the farmers to cultivate more rewarding cash crops. The analysis further revealed that during 1996 to 2016 land use land cover in the three sample districts located along the KKH has shown radical changes. It was found that area under built-up environment was increased, contrary to this area under farmland decreased. Similarly, positive change has been noted in area under forest cover. It was found from the analysis that after the construction of KKH a rapid progress in education and health sector has been registered. The literacy ratio was rapidly increased from 14.7% in 1981 to 37.8% in 1998 and further increased to 52.0 percent in 2012. However, a recorded twelve-time increase is registered in women education, from 1981 (3%) to 2012 (36%). Nevertheless, the women literacy ratio is still very low in Diamer and Astore districts. Similarly, in Gilgit-Baltistan, the number of Government health institutions has increased. However, the limited number of trained doctors is still an issue to be overcome. The analysis revealed that the performance of maternal and child health services in Gilgit-Baltistan lags behind and appears to have been weak. The analysis revealed that there is expanding trade and commence potentials due to KKH and greater retention of economic value in the local economy is expected to further boost-up. However, it needs special attention of National Highway Authority to take care of its maintenance and to mitigate frequent landslides along the KKH. The study explores that prior to the construction of KKH the latitudes of trade between Pakistan and China through ancient silk route was negligible. However, after the inception of KKH, the trade between Pakistan and China has been boost-up. The recent development in the form of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), where KKH is part of CPEC project provides a land route to China and Gilgit-Baltistan to warm-water of Arabian Sea and expected to further boost-up the trade between China and Pakistan in the years ahead. It was found from the analysis that KKH has opened avenues for the local population. It is high time that the ministry of tourism and culture needs to develop tourism sector on priority basis and un-earthen this precious treasury of Gilgit-Baltistan. It was found from the analysis that prior to the construction of KKH, poor road network, lack of transport facility, absence of hotels and restaurants had been hurdles in promoting tourism. This study, however, provides policy guidelines for promoting socio-economic development of this underdeveloped area.