Nestled in the daunting Karakoram Range, Gilgit-Baltistan is known for its beauty and serenity. It’s not just the lush landscape, blossoming trees, and flowing waterfalls that the region takes pride in—it’s the people.

Located on the bank of River Shyok, Gilgit-Baltistan’s Ghanche district is one of Pakistan’s only areas where the crime rate has been zero for nearly a decade. The area, with a population of 160,000, has not reported a single crime scene in 10 years, and murder case in 15 years.

According to the Ghanche SP Jan Muhammad, in 2020, a mere 35 complaints were registered at police stations across the district. This year, only four have been reported. “It can be said that Ghanche is the most peaceful district in the region,” he told Samaa Digital.

Muhammad said that tourists visiting the area have never filed a single complaint. “We don’t even have a tradition of locking our houses, shops, or cars.” Such is the level of trust among the residents.

The officer lauded the people of Ghanche for this. “All the credit goes to them.”

Ghanche shares borders with both India and China. It is located at the foot of the world’s highest battlefield – Siachen.

“The district is known as Bab-ul-Islam [Gateway to Islam],” senior Skardu journalist Qasim Butt said. “People In Ghanche never go to court, they call a meeting and discuss their problems instead.”

He told SAMAA Digital that the residents are calm and quiet by nature and believe in resolving matters. The remoteness of Ghanche has protected it from external interference and has maintained religious harmony and tolerance in the area, Butt added.

The district has three tehsils: Khaplu, Daghoni, and Masherbrum. Ghanche is one of the few places in the country that gives a lofty view of the world’s second-highest mountain.