Balghar

Balghar is a village in Ghanche, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan on the bank of the Shyok River. Some sources said that the name Balghar was derived from Bulgar which is a big ethnic group in Bulgaria, Georgia and Ukraine.LocationThe Shyok meets the Indus river at Keris about 30 kilometers west of Balghar. The Thallay stream divides Balghar in two parts. The bigger part is referred to as Chogo Balghar. It consists of ten large and small mahallahs. The smaller part is called Choo Fuog, which consists of four mahallahs. The population of Balghar is about 10,000.Balghar is a summer tourist destination. Balghar Ranga is situated in Gond neighborhood. It consists of a wide plain. Xooq and Gond neighborhoods are in the north and Gamba burdas are in the south near Thalay valley.Balghar valleyBalghar valley mainly consists of Noorbakhshia sect, comprising 70% of the population. The remaining 30% are Ahl al-Hadith.NotablesNotable scholars of Ahl al-Noorbakhshia include Boa Sultan Ali, Boa Akhon Jabbar, Sheikh Mohsin Ishraqi, Boa Muhammad shah, Boa Sadiq Shah, Boa GM and Boa Akhtar. Notable scholars of Ahl al-Hadith include Boa Samad, Boa Ali and Boa Nadwi in the 19th century. More recent scholars include Boa Sharif Balghari, Boa Billal and Moulana Abdul Qadir Rehmani. Rehamani is known as the Qazi and leading scholar of Baltistan. He studied in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.