By: Shamsuddin Muhammad
Volunteering and public spritedness are among the major attributes and hallmarks of evolving civil
society structure in Gilgit-Baltistan.A general overview of data available from different sources elucidates that about 65 percent out of the total population give their time and knowledge to the individual or integrated humanitarian organizations in need.Of those volunteering their time, despite acute financial obstacles, about 4o percent reportedly give time to religious based, 20% Non Governmental Organizations(NGOs) working for powerty reduction and woman empowerment and Cmmunity Support Organizations (CSOs),about 10% to educational institutions with high esteem volunteering as inherited virtue. Volunteering has been an impulse infused by religious and social obligation of helping poor and opressed. Following fall of colonialism, philanthropists like Aga Khan third and later fourth established charities in the health and education sector to uplift standard of living of masses regardless of creed, colour, origin and affliation to faith. With the passage of time, the maturity in mental level of individuals in society drew on historical traditions of providing relief to the victim communities in hard times from the plateform of Community Support Organizations, though least accountable and lack of internal democratic atttitude has had rendedred an invaluable services to humanity during last more than sixty years. The term civil society is bit new in Gilgit-Baltistan,though already existed in terms of both formal and informal volunteer organizations and arbitration committees on town and village level and non profit based educational centrals in past. Yet, on state level, theterm is meant varies for different segments of the society.In contemporary era, developed discourse, discussions and jounalistic writing structures unify many elements under the scope of the emerging term-Civil Society...... Continue
The writer is a freelance researcher and writer.
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