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Re-Naming Northern Areas
Dear Editor,
One can’t agree more with Raja Zafar on the points he has raised in
his rejoinder to a news item. ‘Northern Areas’, the misnomer for
the erstwhile Gilgit – Baltistan, has been damaging economic
interests and tarnishing its image for the last many decades. The
people of the area have never accepted the term ‘northern areas’ as
a name for their region, because it is a super-imposed one and does
not signify any of the characteristics of the area. This name has
also created an identity crisis for the people, with some serious
political implications for the people of this region…The ambiguity
lies at the core of term northern areas which tends to hide the
constitutional and political non-representative nature of the area
and can potentially divert the attention of international community
from the real issues faced by the people of this region. The
national media has contributed to make the ambiguity fussier by
excluding this region even from the vague portrayal of the northern
parts of NWFP and parts of AKJ as northern areas. In media
parlance, the area is an anonymity, even it does not exist on the
face of earth. This sense of deprivation expressed in identity
politics of the people of this region can further be aggravated if
its existence is not recognized with an all encompassing name to
reflect its distinguished character.
The current name therefore needs to be replaced, soon, with a
suitable and representative one. There have been efforts to change
the name in question, but there seems to be no consensus on a
single name so far. It is never too late, as they say. Efforts are
however still continuing to come up with a suitable name, and this
endeavor from my end could be seen in the specific context of the
debate over naming the northern areas.
The urgency to name this region has now gained paramount importance
in the face of the converging international interests as a
beginning of the Neo-Great Game. The Northern Areas (the tribal
belt connected with Afghanistan, India and China) are
geographically placed to be the heartland of this Neo-Great game.
The people of this region, therefore, must unite under one name to
have their stake in the new surge of international interests in the
area.
The polemics of naming the Northern Areas have reached new heights
in recent years with a plethora of options, all ending up in
disagreements. The lack of consensus stems from the cultural and
ethnic heterogeneity of these areas with little historical evidence
to support a common name acceptable to all ethnic groups.
The context of naming an area in the modern sense comes from the
collective memories of being similar regardless of cultural and
political diversity. The binding force of common identity may vary
from one sociopolitical context to another but the collective
aspiration of human beings to create a universal system of values
has constantly been witnessed in human history. Modernity is a
system of meta- narrative, universal ethics and grand theories to
explain historical progress, social change and political movements.
Thus, modernity is a way of exploring a common nomenclature for a
people living in a certain area. The art of naming an area lies in
outlining the quintessential geographical features of the area that
remain constant in the process of melting social and political
identities. A geographically significant name has potential to ward
off the ongoing controversies, and petty squabbles between
political groups over the naming of the Northern Areas and hence
paving way to resolve the potential conflicts shrouded in the
identity crisis debate. .
Sifting through the polemical debates of naming the Northern Areas
I found it rather intriguing to suggest a name with narrowly
defined political connotations. Primarily, naming a people comes
from the most significant characteristics that place them on a
unique position in relation to others. The unique character of the
Northern Areas lies in their geographical location, full of
snow-capped mountains, freezing weather and coping strategies
reflected in cultural practices.
The geo-climatic setting of the area gives it advantage to name
without having recourse to a particular brand of political
nomenclature.
I propose Zemistan as the name for the Northern Areas including all
the seven districts i.e. Gilgit, Hunza/ Nagar valleys, Ghizer,
Diamer, Astore, Skardu and Gangche.
Zemistan is a Wakhi word to describe the winter season and the
severity of cold. There are many other Wakhi names for some of the
great mountains and places within the Northern Areas and Chitral.
For instance Tirich Mir means Darkness King or King of darkness in
Wakhi language. Likewise Khunjrab means bloody stream and the
famous Shandur pass between Gilgit and Chitral is also derived from
Wakhi language, just to cite a few examples.
Zemistan, as translated from Wakhi, carries a great deal of
symbolism beyond its immediate sense of winter and severity of
cold. It has soothing effect, tranquility and calmness that signify
pristine state of being, purity and elegance. Zemistan- the land of
snow- captures the surrealism of nature and both the stiffness and
tenderness of the natives whose stiffness helps to face the harsh
reality of nature and whose tenderness makes them hospitable,
loving and passionate. It is worth noting that over 60% of the land
of the regions is believed to be covered by glaciers. Our region is
home to gigantic glaciers such as Concordia, Siachin, Biafo,
Buttara and many other smaller ones, outside the polar caps.
I hope that the proposed name; Zemistan would strike a chord among
the thinkers of the Northern Areas and would earn popular acclaim
in the face of an increasing confusion generated by media by
linking this otherwise peaceful region with North West “terrorists”
belt. The term of Northern Areas has created a lot of confusion in
the context of terrorism and thus earning a bad name to the region,
besides creating an identity crisis there.
Naming a place in geo-climatic terms is not a new practice- a
tradition as old as human civilization itself. For instance,
Scandinavia is derived from the geographical feature of high
elevation for a group of North European countries like Denmark,
Sweden, Norway, Ireland and Finland etc. Likewise the word Himalaya
is a combination of Him and laya which means the abode of snow.
Kohistan being a most appropriate name has already been adopted for
the mountainous valleys beyond Chilas and Besham, in the downstream
Indus.
Thus in the context of the Northern Areas a geographically
determined name Zemistan has all the potential to unify the varying
socio-cultural mosaic of its people, by giving them a name above
the parochial differences and short term political gains by certain
groups.
It is hoped the readers would express their honest opinion,
accepting the proposed name – Zemistan to replace the current term
‘northern areas’.
It is also suggested that Chitral District should also be included
in Zemistan keeping in view similar language, culture and tradition
and geographical location etc.
Regards,
Arsalan Yousuf Zond
Islamabad.
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