Our Story
A Note from the Founder
Preserving Our Past. Understanding Our Present.
My grandfather once walked for four days, carrying food and gifts, to reach the people he cared about. Today that journey takes only a few hours. When I think about it, I realize how much has changed within a single generation, and how much of that change lives only in the memory of those who experienced it.
Every region has a history, a culture, and a wealth of knowledge worth preserving. Yet much of what shapes a community’s identity remains undocumented: in the memories of elders, the traditions of families, the experiences of ordinary people, and the questions that research has not yet explored.
Gilgit-Baltistan is a region of remarkable historical depth, cultural diversity, and social significance. Its past, its people, and its changing realities offer countless opportunities for learning and discovery. But I believe our local history, cultural heritage, and community experiences deserve far greater documentation than they have received. When our elders are gone, much of what they know may go with them.
That conviction inspired me to establish Gilgit Global Review (GGR).
My vision is a publication where research and community knowledge stand side by side. GGR is a platform for original research, historical inquiry, cultural documentation, oral history, and thoughtful analysis of the social and developmental realities of Gilgit-Baltistan. It is built on evidence-based writing and responsible scholarship, and on respect for the difference between documented fact, personal memory, and tradition.
I believe research should not remain confined to academic institutions, just as history should not be limited to written records. An elder’s recollection, a community’s tradition, and a carefully sourced study can all deepen our understanding when they are gathered with care and placed in their proper context.
Our ambition is to connect the past with the present, to bridge academic research with lived experience, and to make valuable knowledge accessible to students, researchers, educators, communities, and readers around the world.
This is a long-term effort, and I cannot do it alone. Its success will depend on collaboration. If you are a researcher, scholar, historian, writer, student, or community member, and you carry a story, a photograph, a tradition, or a question worth exploring, I invite you to be part of this work.
I hope Gilgit Global Review will grow into a lasting resource for understanding Gilgit-Baltistan: preserving what we already know, investigating what remains unexplored, and asking the questions that help us understand where we come from, who we are, and where we are heading.
Thank you for being here.
Arshad Iqbal
Founder, Gilgit Global Review