Editing Gilgit Agency (section)

=== Establishment ===
[[File:100 years of the RAF MOD 45163719.jpg|thumb|right|British [[Westland Wapiti]]s based at an airfield in Gilgit around 1930]]
Ranbir Singh's successor [[Partab Singh of Kashmir|Pratap Singh]] was a weak ruler. The British used the opportunity to establish an Agency in Gilgit in 1889, stationing a Political Agent who reported to the British Resident in Srinagar. The initial purpose of the Agency was to keep watch on the frontier and to restrain Hunza and Nagar from dealing with the Russians.

By 1889, the House of Ayasho had consolidated complete control over the regions of [[Punial]], [[Gupis Tehsil|Gupis]]-[[Yasin Valley|Yasin]], and [[Ishkoman Valley|Ishkoman]], incorporating them as provinces under their rule. To emphasize their authority over these territories, the ruling family named the newly unified state ''Takht-e-Punial'' translating to (Greater Punial).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Chahryar |first1=Adle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AzG5llo3YCMC&dq=Ayasho+dynasty&pg=PA239 |title=History of civilizations of Central Asia: Development in contrast: from the sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century |last2=M |first2=Baipakov, Karl |last3=Irfan |first3=Habib |last4=UNESCO |date=2003-12-31 |publisher=UNESCO Publishing |isbn=978-92-3-103876-1 |language=en}}</ref> The Ayasho family, of [[Isma'ilism|Ismaili]] origin, was supported by the [[Sayyid|Syeds]], particularly the fathers and uncles of [[Karam Ali Shah|Pir Syed Karam Ali Shah]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-06 |title=Pir Sahab Syed Karam Ali Shah left us |url=https://pamirtimes.net/2020/08/06/pir-sahab-syed-karam-ali-shah-left-us/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=PAMIR TIMES |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-04 |title=Ex--GB Governor Pir Karam Ali Shah passes away |url=https://www.app.com.pk/national/ex-gb-governor-pir-karam-ali-shah-passes-away/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[British Raj]], aiming to strengthen their hold over the area, installed the Ayasho family as perminent rulers and officially recognized the state as a Special Political District.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-26 |title=Gilgit-Baltistan: A Chronology |url=https://pamirtimes.net/2022/02/26/gilgit-baltistan-a-chronology/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=PAMIR TIMES |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Prince of Punial |url=https://historyofpunial.blogspot.com/2018/07/princeofpunial.html |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=Prince of Punial}}</ref> Today, the legacy of the House of Ayasho is carried on by Shehzada Sameer Shah, the current [[crown prince]] of the family, who is also known as ''Shehzada Syed Sameer Ali Shah Ayasho'' and holds the title "Prince of Punial."

Soon afterwards, the states of Hunza and Nagar were brought under the direct purview of the Gilgit Agency. The Jammu and Kashmir State Forces were stationed in a garrison at Gilgit, which were used by the Agency to keep order. They were replaced by a British-officered [[Gilgit Scouts]] in 1913.{{sfnp|Schofield, Kashmir in Conflict|2003|pp=12–13}}

Gradually, the princely states to the west of Gilgit (Punial, [[Yasin Valley|Yasin]], [[Ghizer Tehsil|Kuh-Ghizar]], [[Ishkoman Valley|Ishkoman]] and [[Chitral (princely state)|Chitral]]) were also brought under the purview of the Gilgit Agency. These areas were nominally under the suzerainty of Kashmir but were directly administered by the Agency.{{sfnp|Chohan, Gilgit Agency|1997|p=203}} Following a rebellion in 1892, Chitral was transferred to the [[Malakand Agency]] in the [[Khyber Pakhtunkwa|Frontier Areas]]{{sfnp|Snedden, Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris|2015|p=110}} The remaining areas remained under the control of the Gilgit Agency, which administered them through governors.{{sfnp|Chohan, Gilgit Agency|1997|p=203}}