NARRATIVES OF LIMINAL CITIZENSHIP: A CASE STUDY OF GOJAL, GILGIT-BALTISTAN

Abstract

The Wakhi people of Gojal live in different regions of Gilgit-Baltistan; which is a disputed territory in the national and international sphere. The CNIC issued by state of Pakistan is partially beneficial for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, for instance he/she can travel the world, open his/her bank account, pay tax, vote for representatives of legislative assembly of Gilgit-Baltistan, have property, but on the other hand they cannot access the Pakistan Supreme Court and cannot become member of Parliament. The National Assembly and Senate being a major policy making bodies lack the representation from Gilgit-Baltistan. In this way an individual from Gilgit-Baltistan, being citizen on the basis of the legal documents like CNIC is faced with limitations leading to only partial membership as a citizen. The respondents of this research work are based on four categories of intergenerational and political group sampling. This research examines the narratives of an uncertain citizenship status given to the people of Gilgit- Baltistan, situating their experiences within the framework of citizenship and using Victor Turner‟s concept of liminality. I look at how people of that area construct their identity based on given national identity card. The research findings reflect that the basic forces that have strengthen the bond of citizenship between an individual and the state is firstly; the CNIC, secondly; it is the right of citizenship that Pakistan has given to the people and thirdly; it is the religious associations. Anthropologist Victor Turner‟s concept of liminality helped coin the phrase “liminal citizenship”. Within the context of this study, I defined a liminal citizen as any individual who has partial access to the rights and benefits as enjoyed by any proper citizen of state of Pakistan. The status of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan can be seen liminal in the anthropological context of positioning things