Editing Gojal Tehsil (section)

=== Settlement of Passu ===
[[Passu]]<ref name=Dawn/> is located at 125&nbsp; km from [[Gilgit]] on the KKH near the border of [[China]] and is surrounded by the mountains of the Karakoram range. Its neighborhood also includes two large glaciers: [[Batura]] and [[Passu Glacier]]. It is one of the most dangerous places to live in due to the continuous threat of floods and has been flooded four times in the past. Passu is also one of the most ancient villages in the area. According to [[archeologists]], the first human settlement in the area dates back to 3000 BC or 5000 BC. There are many ancient rock carvings of [[ibex]] and [[zebra]] on several rocks, showing that ibexes have been around in the valley for many millennia, but the area no longer houses zebras. Other wildlife animals here are [[Snow leopard|snow leopards]] and [[Yak|yaks]].
In the second settlement era, Chinese Buddhists lived here. The [[Buddhism in Pakistan|Buddhists]] of [[Gandhara]], Swat, Gilgit, and [[Passu]] traveled from via this valley to go to [[China]]. Records of this settlement and subsequent migration are found in Karga Gilgit and Khurramabad Passu.
The third settlement in the history of this valley is the [[Islamic]] era. Islam came to this area in the ninth century when Muslim soldiers and traders ventured to the region. Quranic verses were etched in the mountains around the valley during this era.

The fourth era was also Islamic, which was settled here in the 18th century. This time, the area boasted a vibrant populace of 315 families. However, this village was destroyed by a natural disaster with a landslide and the nearby river was blocked. Only a few families remained safe by the landslide.
This village was destroyed once again in 1964 when the population was forced into migration by the flooding of the Shimshal River and erosion around the river bank. This time around too, the village had some 300 houses.
The majority of Passu's native population recognizes its ancestor as a man named Qul Muhammad (famously known as Quli), who had come from [[Wakhan]] in the 15th century. In his memory, majority of the people of Passu are also known as Quli-Kutor or Kulikutz. The Quli tribe has also inhabited Karimabad, Murtazabad and many other villages of central Hunza. The Quli-Kuts in central Hunza later adopted the Burusho way of life and now speak the Burushaski language. Most of the families migrated to [[Chapursan]] and Khyber.

Among the current inhabitants of Passu are seven families: the Chuway, Magh, Din-Ali, Mohammad Sakhi, Quba, and Parasti or Miron. Parasti are decedent's of Shah Abdullah Khan son of Mir Shah Salim Khan of Hunza. The family is named after Ali Parast, the elder son of Shah Abdullah Khan, who moved to Passu from Shahabad Hyderabad in the 1870s. During Mir Shah Ghazanfar's time, Abdullah Khan was deputed as the governor of Gojal and commander in chief of the forces of Hunza to protect the northern frontiers.

In 1941, the people of Passu, Hussaini and other villages of upper Gojal under the leadership of Muhammad Adab Khan famous as Mahmmad Adob, son of Ali Parast mobilized a revolt against the heavy taxes imposed by Mir Ghazan Khan II on the people of Gojal and threatened the Mir to join the Bolshavik (Russia) and started marching towards the Afghan/Chinese border. His close comrades were Muhammad Hayat, Majnoon bhai, Ibadat Shah, Gul Murad, Bimal Khan, Muhammad Arif and others. The British government of India [[British Raj]] intervened and through the local administration of the Gilgit Agency, the issue was resolved by reducing the taxes to the minimum level. 

The latest figures put the population of Passu around 1,000.