Khaplu and Ghanche: Asking for Welfare Help from the Shyok Valley

Khaplu climbs a green slope above the Shyok River, its old wooden palace and mosques looking across to the peaks that lead up to Masherbrum and the Hushe valley. It is the headquarters of Ghanche, the easternmost district of Baltistan, whose villages run along the Shyok and Saltoro rivers towards the Line of Control. People here who look for an NGO in Khaplu are often worried about the next winter, a sick relative, or a child’s studies.

Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO) can receive their requests, but there is no PHWO office, staff or camp in Khaplu. The organisation’s only office is in Larkana, Sindh. Ghanche families apply online, through Message PHWO in a free PHWO account, or through a volunteer, all without charge. Each request is checked; if the need is shown to be real and within PHWO’s means, help is organised, though no result is guaranteed.

Ghanche's official profile

The GB at a Glance 2025 report shows Ghanche with 157,822 people in 2023 against 156,697 in 2017. Growth was just 0.12 percent a year, the slowest in Gilgit-Baltistan, suggesting that many young people move away for work or study. The district covers 8,531 square kilometres.

Literacy was 69.57 percent, households averaged about seven people and there were 21,174 homes. In 2023 there were roughly 112 men for every 100 women. Balti is spoken in almost every household.

Put simply, Ghanche is a district of steady numbers and quiet departures. The population barely changed in six years while neighbouring districts grew, and the imbalance between men and women hints at who is staying and who is leaving. For welfare work, it means many requests may come from parents or grandparents whose working children live far away, or from relatives in the cities asking on their behalf.

Hardships in the Shyok and Hushe valleys

Winters in Ghanche are long and bitter. Families rely on stored grain, dried apricots and whatever fuel they can buy or gather, and the price of gas cylinders and wood goes up sharply as snow closes in. Older people and widows living alone often run short before spring.

Summer brings some income from trekking groups heading to Hushe, Kondus or the Masherbrum area, and from farm work, but it is short. When a family’s main earner falls ill, or a porter is hurt on a mountain, there may be no savings at all. Glacial floods and landslides have also damaged fields and houses in parts of the district; the NDMA issues national alerts.

Because so many young people leave, parents at home can find themselves with debts and no one nearby to help. Winter ration, medical costs and education fees are the likeliest reasons for someone from Ghanche to write to PHWO.

How an NGO in Khaplu request reaches Larkana

1. Open Request help, or message PHWO from your free PHWO account.
2. Tell PHWO about your household, its earnings in summer and winter, any debts and what you need.
3. Add a live photo of yourself; include bills, doctor’s papers or fee challans if you have them. Clear pictures taken in daylight are easiest to read.
4. A volunteer reviews the file and may call you.

People in Machulo, Thalle or other remote villages can send their file when they visit Khaplu bazaar or through a relative in Skardu. No fee is involved at any stage, and a person asking for money in its name should not be trusted.

Family and land cases: free legal guidance

Ghanche’s district courts sit in Khaplu, and appeals are heard by the Chief Court of Gilgit-Baltistan. Under PHWO’s Free legal aid, Pakistani volunteer advocates study the papers and lay out the choices. Inheritance of land and orchards, maintenance, dower and khula come up often in valley families.

You may ask without any FIR. Mention if children’s custody or an early hearing is part of the matter, as those are handled first. An advocate appearing for you in court depends on who is free and cannot be promised, but an explanation of your papers is a useful start.

Other help in Khaplu

• District Headquarters Hospital Khaplu, the main public hospital for Ghanche.
• Police: dial 15.
• BISP: Kafaalat and stipend eligibility can be checked by texting your CNIC to 8171.
• District Zakat and Ushr Committee Ghanche for state zakat.
• District courts Khaplu and the bar for local legal help.

Rishta, study and skills for young people

Young people from Ghanche who want to study further or earn online can explain their plans in a request, including the cost of a laptop or college fees in Skardu. Digital skills and vocational training are two of the areas on PHWO’s Programmes page. Families seeking a suitable match can register free on the Rishta Desk; each profile is checked with a live selfie and reviewed by PHWO staff, and the families make all decisions.

Donating to or volunteering for Ghanche

Balti families working in Islamabad, Karachi or abroad can give through Donate, including warm quilts and clothes before winter. Every rupee of Zakat and Sadaqah is passed to eligible people, and through Sponsor a case you can back one verified household. Every contribution, large or small, is welcome. Volunteers, especially lawyers in Pakistan and fundraisers in the country or overseas, are invited to enrol through Volunteer, and in return receive a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter.

Public services in Khaplu you can also use

• District courts Ghanche (Khaplu)Civil, criminal and family cases
• Chief Court of Gilgit-BaltistanAppeals
• District Headquarters Hospital KhapluGovernment hospital
• PoliceDial 15
• BISPSMS CNIC to 8171
• District Zakat and Ushr Committee GhancheGovernment zakat

These are public or independent services, listed to help you. They are not part of PHWO.

Frequently asked questions