By Senge Sering
The Pakistani Taliban has named a native from the Himalayan region of Gilgit-Baltistan as its new spokesperson.
Khalid Balti, a resident of Gilgit-Baltistan, has been chosen as the new spokesperson of Pakistan’s Taliban (TTP). He was selected to replace Shahidullah Shahid, who left to join the Pakistan based affiliates of the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIS). Naming a local is evidence of the Taliban’s growing interest in the strategically located Gilgit-Baltistan region.
Khalid Balti, who identifies himself as Mohammad Al-Khorasani, was born in Thogmus Village in the Gangche district in Gilgit-Baltistan. He left for Karachi in 1994 after studying at a local religious school, though his wife and four children continue to live in Baltistan. Balti is considered a religious scholar whose previous affiliations with several madrassas in Karachi include Jamiat-ul-Rasheed, Jamia Banoria, and Jamia Farooqia. His expertise in publishing and association with the Taliban’s Umer media led to his prominence and his appointment is a diplomatic move by the Taliban to use cultural competency to fortify their stronghold in a disputed region that is claimed by both India and Pakistan. Moving forward, it is expected that his understanding of local sectarian dynamics between Shia, Sunni, and Sufi Nurbakhshia will serve in recruitment efforts.
Defense and political analysts who are familiar with Gilgit-Baltistan’s connections with Afghan and Kashmir Jihad are not surprised by the Taliban’s attempt to put this region on the international terror map. Given the geopolitical dynamics and Gilgit-Baltistan’s shared borders with China’s Xinjiang Province, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and the Indian region of Ladakh, it was not a matter of if it was going to happen but how soon. In the last two years, the Taliban has been involved in sporadic attacks in Gilgit-Baltistan, killing dozens, including local minorities, military officials, and tourists. The group has also attacked and bombed local girls’ schools to show its opposition to female education.
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