Baltistan

Baltistan is a mountainous place on the border of Pakistan Controlled Kashmir and Indian Controlled Kashmir in the Karakoram mountains just south of K2. Baltistan borders Gilgit to the west, Xinjiang within the north, Ladakh at the southeast and the Kashmir Valley on the southwest. Its average altitude is over 3,350 metres. Prior to 1947, Baltistan turned into a part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, having been conquered by Raja Gulab Singh's armies in 1840. Baltistan and Ladakh have been administered at the same time under one wazarat of the country.

Baltistan retained its identification on this set-up as the Skardu tehsil, with Kargil and Leh being the alternative two tehsils of the district. After the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India, Gilgit Scouts overthrew the Maharaja's governor in Gilgit and captured Baltistan. The Gilgit Agency and Baltistan have been ruled via Pakistan ever since. The Kashmir Valley and the Kargil and Leh tehsils have been retained by means of India. A small part of Baltistan, along with the village of Turtuk within the Nubra Valley, changed into integrated into Ladakh after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.