Yugo, Baltistan

The village is located above the Shyok River 70 km from Baltistan's capital Skardu on a tarmac highway heading towards Khaplu after passing Ghawari and Kunes.

The people of both Yugo proper and Skirkiting now generally regard themselves as Yugupa although some sections of smaller subsets within the community still prefer to maintain their original identities.

Despite the love for music by most Baltis, it was banned after a religious revival movement by Sheikh-ul-Hadith Mufti Azam Maulana Abdul Qadir Baltistani in the late 1960s.

Intermarriages between the two communities of Skirkiting and Yugo proper over time have led to more integration with the Yugupa now acquiring a relatively homogenous identity.

[citation needed] Due to shortage of arable land and other resources, it is now estimated that more than half of its original inhabitants migrated to mainland Pakistan and overseas in search of better life including employment opportunities and both religious and secular education.

Many Yugupa work in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, teachers, labourers and drivers with a few in the engineering, medical and marketing sectors.

A number of Yugupa, most of them in mainland Pakistan and a handful abroad in North America, Australia and Africa are professionals in the medical and engineering sector.

The late Sheikh-ul-Hadith Mufti Azam Maulana Abdul Qadir Baltistani and Maulana Abdul Rahim Bin Muhammad Ali Yugovi were the Balti Sunni Ahl al-Hadith scholars who were recognised by many Baltis including those belonging to other sects during his life, for provision of a traditional Islamic justice system Shariat.

One of Maulana Abdul Qadir Baltistani son is Dr Hamidullah, who is currently professor at the Islamic department University of the Punjab, Lahore.

His travels took him to various countries, including Iraq, Najaf, Samarra, Egypt, Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Finland, and some reports even mention China, Japan, and Korea.

He possessed a pulse-checking machine, which was uncommon at the time, and was known for performing eye surgeries when even MBBS doctors found it challenging.

In Tortok, he once treated an elderly woman who was severely ill, and after giving her a potent medicine, her condition worsened so much that people expected her to die.

The contributions of Haji Abdul Rehman Makki Yugovi were instrumental in securing the survival and growth of Jamia Darul Uloom Ghawari.

He was part of a delegation that presented the problems of the Sunni community to Maharaja Hari Singh, for whom he also worked as a personal physician.

He was also part of a delegation that met with the Saudi Arabian Ambassador in Kashmir to ensure that the demands of the Sunni community in Baltistan were addressed.

In 1945, he was sent to India on a crucial mission to secure aid for Jamia Darul Uloom Ghawari, despite the challenges posed by political turmoil and the ongoing Indian independence movement.

He also helped in the construction of a canal (Kohl) in his village, Yugo, with the support of a prominent merchant from India, who was a follower of the Ahl-i-Hadith sect.

His contributions to religious education, his expertise in medicine, and his efforts for the betterment of the Sunni community in Baltistan earned him immense respect.

His work, particularly in securing financial aid for Jamia Darul Uloom Ghawari, ensured the institution's continued success.

Yugupa speak a dialect that is rougher, louder and with less emphasis on traditional intonation, and less strain on the vowels at the end of speech than some of their counterparts for example in Khaplu.

There are towering ice-capped mountains in the surrounding areas including Sn'gonpo Ran'ga – a high altitude plateau around 13,000 ft above sea level, as well as mountains Ming met la, Marpho khiyang ra la, Hyaqra, Khi sa and Dindaq khilas, which are all at heights greater than 16,000 feet (4,900 m) above sea level at their peaks.

Electricity generated from hydroelectric power from the gushing glacier water streams from a neighbouring village is available in Yugo but supply is erratic and voltage fluctuations and outages are common.