Photo: Fehd.raza @fehd.raza · CC BY-SA 4.0Events / 1 November
Gilgit-Baltistan
Gilgit-Baltistan Independence Day
1 November in Gilgit: flags, parades and polo to mark the 1947 uprising that ended Dogra rule and joined Gilgit-Baltistan to Pakistan.
On 1 November 1947 the Gilgit Scouts, under Major William Brown and Subedar-Major Babar Khan, arrested the Dogra governor, Brigadier Ghansara Singh, and set up a provisional government; the region then acceded to Pakistan. Gilgit-Baltistan marks the day as its independence day and a public holiday, with a flag-raising attended by the governor, chief minister and the northern force commander, parades and celebrations across the region.
- Gilgit
- Flag-raising and parade
- Public holiday in GB
- When to plan
- 1 November each year. Until 2009 Baltistan marked 14 August instead, the day Skardu was taken in 1948; since the 2009 Self-Governance Order, 1 November is the official day for all of GB.
- Getting there
- Gilgit is reached by air from Islamabad (weather permitting) or by the Karakoram Highway.
Where it is held
Sources
More in Gilgit-Baltistan
Region guide →
June 21
Ginani Festival
Summer solstice thanksgiving in Hunza and Nagar, wheat harvest rituals and shared meals in the orchards.
August
Babusar Polo Festival
Three days of freestyle polo on Babusar Pass, at 4,173 metres one of the world's highest polo grounds, held in Diamer district each August since 2007.
October
Sarfaranga Cold Desert Rally & Festival
A three-day jeep rally and festival on the Sarfaranga cold desert, 2,300 metres up where the Shigar valley meets the Indus, held each year since 2017.
