The Baltis now have a global clientele on whose reflection they are beginning to fashion a new identity for themselves.
The summer 'window of opportunity' for the ubiquitous foreign tourists who want to see 'wilderness' has now opened for Baltistan, that cul-de-sac district in Northern Pakistan noted perhaps only for being a linguistic curiosity in Pakistan, because the inhabitants maintain a dialect of Tibetan.
For Tibet-i-Khurd (Little Tibet), as the Mughals called it, the window is open for economic entry into a cash economy. However, it is firmly closed and locked for political entry into Pakistani society. The national elections in Pakistan are set for 8 October, but the rules firmly prohibit participation by Baltis, as it is prohibited for their Northern Areas neighbours in Gilgit District.
This contemporary paradox (i.e., participation in society at one level but not at others) extends to the current cultural identity of the region, which is being moulded by foreigners through the popular books on mountains. Baltistan is in the midst of being manufactured by the Western media. For the Baltis themselves, their grasp of Tibetan Buddhist culture is limited to the petroglyphs of the surrounding culture and an English language text on the history of the "Northern areas" that foreigners keep writing about.