Baltistan The most remote region of Pakistan. It is situated in the Northern Mountains, at Pamir-Nod, where the Hindu Kush, Pamir, Karakorum, and Himalayan Mountains meet, and where the famed K2 and Nanga Parbat Mountains tower. The Indus River divides Baltistan; in one of the basins created by the river, the old capital city of Skardu is located. Baltistan is commonly known as "Little Tibet." The population of Baltistan is mostly Tibetan-speaking; some of the population have red or blond hair and blue eyes. Baltistan was once a thriving region, thanks to the extensive trade route that linked China and Kashmir. From earliest times, it was in the cultural sphere of northern India. Alexander of Macedon (356–323 BCE) subdued Baltistan and brought Hellenic influence to the area. Thereafter, Baltistan was part of Gandharan culture and was an important center of Buddhism. It was only in the eighth century CE that Tibetan tribes made inroads into the region and became a dominant part of the population.In the thirteenth century, during the rule of the Makpon dynasty, Islam came to Baltistan, and the majority of people converted to the new faith. It is often said that only with the Makpon rulers did Baltistan acquire its identity. Their rule lasted until 1840, when the maharajah Ghulab Singh, the Hindu ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, seized the area. When Pakistan was carved out of western India in 1947, the Muslim majority in Kashmir struggled for freedom from the Hindu Dogra regime, which had ties to India. In 1948, Baltistan became a federally governed area of Pakistan.