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Some 50% of the people in the world live in rural areas, often under harsh conditions and in poverty. The need for knowledge of how to improve living conditions is well documented. In response to this need, new knowledge of how to improve living conditions in rural areas and elsewhere is continuously being developed by researchers and practitioners around the world. People in rural areas, in particular, would certainly benefit from being able to share relevant knowledge with each other, as well as with stakeholders (e.g. researchers) and other organizations (e.g. NGOs). Central to knowledge management is the idea of knowledge sharing. This study is based on the assumption that knowledge management can support sustainable development in rural and remote regions. It aims to present a framework for knowledge management in sustainable rural development, and an inventory of existing frameworks for that. The study is interpretive, with interviews as the primary source for the inventory of stakeholders, knowledge categories and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure. For the inventory of frameworks, a literature study was carried out. The result is a categorization of the stakeholders who act as producers and beneficiaries of explicit and indigenous development knowledge. Stakeholders are local government, local population, academia, NGOs, civil society and donor agencies. Furthermore, the study presents a categorization of the development knowledge produced by the stakeholders together with specifications for the existing ICT infrastructure. Rural development categories found are research, funding, agriculture, ICT, gender, institutional development, local infrastructure development, and marketing & enterprise. Finally, a compiled framework is presented, and it is based on ten existing frameworks for rural development that were found in the literature study, and the empirical findings of the Gilgit-Baltistan case. Our proposed framework is divided in four levels where level one consists of the identified stakeholders, level two consists of rural development categories, level three of the knowledge management system and level four of sustainable rural development based on the levels below. In the proposed framework we claim that the sustainability of rural development can be achieved through a knowledge society in which knowledge of the rural development process is shared among all relevant stakeholders.

Economic Corridors around the world has been creating livelihood opportunities for people thus stimulating economic growth and development. This study has explored the opportunities for livelihood expansion which exists in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for the people of Gilgit Baltistan (GB), as the region lacks many vital livelihood opportunities. CPEC is considered as a fate changer, specifically for the people of Hunza valley, which provides the pathway to CPEC emanating from China to the rest of Pakistan. The economic growth process in the region is now been linked with the expansion of livelihood opportunities to benefit the local poor. This study has deployed quantitative research technique and used purposive sampling technique for field survey. Results show that a major bulk – 60% of the local respondents, 70% members of GBLA and 80% of the members of Chamber of Commerce in Hunza (Gilgit Baltistan) are hopeful that CPEC will create employment opportunities for local community. Due to high potential of GB in tourism sector, a high number of respondents (53%) expected that tourism sector will develop through CPEC while 28% of the local people and the members of Chamber of Commerce expected that industrial sector will get boost through CPEC, 19% of the respondents were having opinion that agriculture sector will develop through this mega project creating employment opportunities for the local youth in their native area. Keywords: CPEC, Gilgit Baltistan, employment opportunities, tourism, small industries.

The mega‐infrastructural development project provides easy access to remarkable tourism destinations and keeps attracting tourists. Tourist data from the tourism department of Gilgit‐Baltistan (GB), Pakistan, show that the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project's impact positively relates to tourism demand. GB is at the early stage of tourism development, and residents show a willingness to support tourism even though tourism costs outweigh benefits. Besides, the existing tourism policy of Gilgit‐Baltistan focuses explicitly on economic sustainability but overlooks the socio‐cultural and environmental concerns. Therefore, the present study based on the stakeholder theory provides policy implications to minimize adverse effects on socio‐cultural and ecological resources and achieve sustainable tourism.

Recent history of international relations suggests that economic interdependence largely contributes to the mitigation of the major political conflicts in the world. CPEC, a flagship mega development project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has not only initiated massive development projects in Pakistan, which will eventually help in socio-economic development of Pakistan but it will also ensure regional integration. Development of Pakistan through CPEC is desirably focused on a people centric growth model that primarily seeks to resolve the issues of human security. This paper seeks to establish the relationship between economic interdependence and regional integration with human security. Furthermore, this study looks into the role of Gilgit-Baltistan, a geographical lynchpin region, in making CPEC a successful developmental project. Findings of the study suggest that the viability and success of this mega project is highly dependent on the inclusiveness of projects in terms of engaging all stakeholders. The fruits of this mega project are expected to be positive. This is only possible if all the different dimensions of national security, i.e. social cohesion, economic development, and political stability are ensured by the state.

Pamiri ethnic nationalism in Post-Soviet Tajikistan has led to short-lived sovereign status in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region from 1992 to 1997 that has now been transmitted in the remaining parts of entire Badakhshan Region / Pamir Mountain Range; covering Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan, Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County of Tajikistan, and, Chitral District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and Gilgit-Baltistan Autonomous Region of Pakistan. As Pak-China Economic Corridor is crossing through Gilgit-Baltistan, anti-Pakistan elements can not only trigger Pamiri ethnic nationalism on the basis of former historical sovereignty, separate linguistic identity, or unique sectarian believes. This study discusses the ways of the Pamiri ethnic community in the entire Badakhshan Region that has little been inspiring from the ethnonational separatism in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan. Similarly, anti-Pakistan and anti-CPEC elements are also analyzed in this study that is trying to disturb the socio-political and religious environment of Gilgit-Baltistan to disrupt CPEC. Future assessments of the region after completing CPEC, historical background and economic worth of the Gilgit-Baltistan, and, developmental opportunities for Afghanistan and Tajikistan are also observed in this study.

The existing literature in social sciences and humanities analyzing root causes of sectarian and religious conflicts focus mostly on micro-factors. The inability of market and state factors to control sectarian conflict for last seven decades remains understudied by the contemporary literature. This article aims at filling that gap and seeks to identify certain market and government failures that have implications on sectarian and religious conflicts. More specifically, it identifies four market failures namely asymmetries of information, externalities, equity and public goods and three government failures, which include democracy failure, bureaucratic failure and implementation failure. In contrast to the literature shedding light on the impact and gravity of sectarian and religious violence in the country, the purpose here remains to highlight important aspects of public policy reforms for peace making and peace building. This article, based on the aforementioned market and government failures, suggests a whole new set of policy reforms.

The existing literature in social sciences and humanities analyzing root causes of sectarian and religious conflicts focus mostly on micro-factors. The inability of market and state factors to control sectarian conflict for last seven decades remains understudied by the contemporary literature. This article aims at filling that gap and seeks to identify certain market and government failures that have implications on sectarian and religious conflicts. More specifically, it identifies four market failures namely asymmetries of information, externalities, equity and public goods and three government failures, which include democracy failure, bureaucratic failure and implementation failure. In contrast to the literature shedding light on the impact and gravity of sectarian and religious violence in the country, the purpose here remains to highlight important aspects of public policy reforms for peace making and peace building. This article, based on the aforementioned market and government failures, suggests a whole new set of policy reforms.

This study investigates the leadership styles of school principal and academic coordinator in one of the private schools in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. A qualitative case study approach was employed to generate the study data using semi-structured interviews as major data generation tool. A pre-designed interview guide was used to facilitate the interview discourses. The findings of the study showed that both, the principal and academic coordinator mostly execute democratic leadership approach to facilitate learning processes in the school, though this style becomes varied under different circumstances. This dominant leadership style was seen effective in bringing about positive learning environment within the school. The study recommends that exploration of similar comparative studies in same context may be continued to generate more in-depth understanding of the context and to devise appropriate plans in educational sector.

AbstractVitamin D is an important nutrient for bone health, and vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of various diseases. Gilgit Baltistan, the northern-most area of Pakistan, has a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, despite many nutritional and food safety programmes. The present study aimed to find how knowledge, attitudes and practices associated with vitamin D related to the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among people residing in different areas of Gilgit Baltistan. The cross-sectional study was descriptive and used data from a survey carried out between February 2019 and December 2020 on individuals of both sexes aged 10 years or over in Gilgit Baltistan. Of the 575 survey participants, 306 (53.2%) had experienced signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, i.e. tiredness, fatigue and bone weakness. Approximately 64.8% had some general knowledge of vitamin D and its relation to health. Participants aged 19–25 years had the highest scores on knowledge of vitamin D. Only 22.7% of interviewees had ever taken any supplements and only 25.6% often exposed themselves to sunlight. Females' mean knowledge score (28.7; SD 7.02) was higher than that of males (24; SD 9.01). A lack of consistency was observed between attitude towards daylight exposure and knowledge of vitamin D. There was a large correlation between knowledge and attitude (p = 0.001), while a non-significant association was demonstrated between knowledge and practices (p = 0.1). Better knowledge, attitude and practices by people living in cities or more-developed regions indicates that education can be an effective way to provide awareness regarding micronutrient deficiencies. More emphasis is needed on enhancing knowledge, awareness and practices associated with vitamin D deficiency in rural areas of Pakistan. It is strongly recommended that an awareness campaign on micronutrients is launched in both rural and urban areas of Pakistan, concentrating on poor socioeconomic settings.

Recently, after abrogating Kashmir's semi-autonomous status, India declared a new domicile law for Kashmir. Pakistan has reacted strongly against this new law accusing India's Hindu-nationalist government of harbouring schemes to alter the demography of Kashmir in order to change its Muslim-majority character. In this article, it is argued that Pakistan's criticism is ethically unjustified because of its own blemished record of demographic engineering in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 'Azad Jammu and Kashmir' ('AJK'). State-led demographic engineering in 'AJK' and GB is discussed, arguing that such attempts have marginalized the local Shi'a community. Pakistan has settled Sunni extremists in GB and 'AJK'. As of result, today, the region is home to intense sectarian violence and Sunni terrorist groups like Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar–i-Taiba. This article also points to these demographic engineering projects, being not merely Pakistani projects: China has tremendous stakes in the demographic engineering of GB to secure its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).