Baltis in Kargil district

The Baltis live in Baltistan under the control of PoK (Pak Occupied Kashmir or Azad Kashmir) and Kargil district of Jammu Kashmir state, India. They are Muslims by religion. Most of them are Shias and Noor Bakshis and very few are Sunnis. Interestingly, they were Buddhists before getting converted into Islam. And before the spreading of Buddhism, they were Hindus. They speak Balti and use Arabic script when are supposed to write. They speak in Balti with their fellow Baltis and converse in Urdu with the others. The tribe comes under Scheduled Tribe (ST) category and they were given ST status in 1989. Their region comes under Ladakh province in Jammu Kashmir state.

Religion and its influence on social life: As they follow Islam, they strictly abstain from Alcohols. They do not even consume toddy or home made herbal intoxicants. However, they often smoke as it is not a taboo according to Islam. They do not accept any cooked food from non-Muslims. The tradition continued till recent past. Women can not divorce their husbands. Music and dance are strictly prohibited. However, due to modernization, they are changing with a slow pace.

However, Wahabbism does not exist as most of them are not Sunnis. Though Muslims, Balti women work in the fields. They manage all the home affairs in the absence of their husbands. They too participate in the religious rituals. Daughter-in-law and father-in-law work together without any inhibition. Their relationship can be compared to that of a father and his daughter.

Caste system and social life: Though they take different professions like cobblers, carpenters, tailors and weavers, there exists no caste system among them based on the professions. The family and village elders and the religious heads settle down the conflicts. Baltis go to courts very rarely and this is too only when their elders and religious can not solve the problem.

Marriage system: When it comes to marriage system, they accept matches from any Muslim family across the country and they are not particular about any ethnic boundaries too. A woman can not divorce her husband on her own.