Baltistan, also known as Baltiyul بلتی یول in the Balti language, is a region to the north of Kashmir, bordering Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. It is situated in the Karakoram mountains just to the south of K2, the world's second highest mountain. It is an extremely mountainous region, with an average altitude of over 3,350 m (11,000 ft). It is inhabited principally by Balti Muslims of Tibetan descent who converted from Tibetan Buddhism prior to the 16th century.
Baltistan was an independent state but was occupied by the Raja (King) of Kashmir in the nineteenth century. In 1947 when India and Pakistan gained independence, it was still part of Kashmir. In 1948 local freedom fighters had a war of independence with Dogra Army and expelled them from Baltiyul, later they decided to affiliate with Pakistan. Now the region is divided between India and Pakistan. The districts of Skardu (Skardo) and Ganche which are part of Pakistan Administered Gilgit-Baltistan, a de facto federal dependency of Pakistan administered directly from Islamabad; its main town is Skardu. It contains the highest peaks of the Karakoram, including K2. Indian Baltistan (the district of Kargil) is located in the north of the Indian Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir.
BALTISTAN ZINDABAD!
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