Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, while expressing the government’s commitment to socio-economic development of Gilgit Baltistan on Friday, announced a Rs 2 billion grant to address the financial problems of the region. Addressing the first joint session of the Gilgit-Baltistan Council and Legislative Assembly here, he also directed the Ministry of Finance to immediately release the amount. He said that with improvement in the financial position of the Federal Government, more resources would be provided to Gilgit-Baltistan.

Published in APP

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday urged the Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to take suo moto notice of Shia killings in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Speaking at a press conference with a prominent Shia leader of the region Sheikh Jaffery and noted Sunni leader Maulana Khalil during a visit to Skardu, Imran emphasised that the government had completely failed to maintain law and order, says a statement issued by PTI Central Information Secretary Shafqat Mehmood.

The killing of 21 Shia passengers in a bus at Babusar Pass was horrific tragedy, he said, and also a manifestation of complete failure of the incumbent government. Imran said that the chief justice of Pakistan was taking suo moto of matters that were relatively trivial but not doing the same for sectarian killings. He said it was good that the Supreme Court was taking notice of the government failures in other spheres but the matter of Shia killings required its special consideration.

Imran made a special effort to promote sectarian harmony by contacting leaders of all sects and visiting them. He promised that the PTI would continue raising its voice against terrorist organisations that were deliberately trying to create conflict in the country through sectarian murders.

Two men including a policeman were killed and another was injured in shootings in the restive town of Gilgit on Saturday.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Ali Sher said two motorcyclists shot dead a policeman, identified as Raja Shah Jamaluddin, and injured another after they were stopped for violating a recently imposed ban on movement of motorcycles. The incident occurred at around 5am near Rax Chowk. Police and other security agencies cordoned off the area but the assailants could not be arrested till the filing of this report. The injured policeman was taken to the District Headquarter Hospital where his condition is stated to be critical.

“This is a sheer act of terrorism which is not acceptable at any cost,” said Sher.

In the second incident, a local, identified as Karamat was fatally wounded in Baseen locality. He was taken to City Hospital Kashrite where he was pronounced dead.

Following the Naran bus carnage in which 19 people, mostly Shias, travelling from Rawalpindi to Gilgit-Baltistan were executed, at least five people have so  far been killed and three others injured in apparent reprisal attacks.

In a high-level law and order meeting held in Gilgit on Friday, government officials had decide against lifting the recently imposed ban on travelling on motorcycles.

Meanwhile, travellers remained stranded in Gilgit as public transport to and from the town remained suspended on the fifth day. An official of a private bus company told The Express Tribune that the bus service is expected to resume tomorrow.

Published in The Express Tribune

COMSATS has reached Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) through its virtual campus. The authorized study center for GB is Human and Enterprise Development Institute (HEDI) based in Gilgit. With the distance learning program of COMSATS Virtual campus, learners can fulfill their dreams of getting high COMSATS has reached Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) through its virtual campus. The authorized study center for GB is Human and Enterprise Development Institute (HEDI) based in Gilgit. With the distance learning program of COMSATS Virtual campus, learners can fulfill their dreams of getting high quality education no matter where they are. Admissions are open in four programs namely BS (CS), BS (BA), MCS and MBA. There is special 75% fee subsidy for students from remote areas including GB. Learners can apply online atwww.vcomsats.edu.pk, or can apply for admission at the COMSATS Virtual Study Center Gilgit, located at Human & Enterprise Development Institute (HEDI) Off-Naveed Shaheed Road Zulfiqarabad Gilgit. Ph No. 0312-7775553

After decades of sectarian violence, July 14 marked the day Gilgit readied itself for a hopeful new reality. 

A local jirga in Gilgit achieved a landmark breakthrough after dozens of bereaved Sunni and Shia families of Napura locality embraced each other –  forgiving the blood spilled over their decades-long sectarian rivalry.

“We are forgiving each other to herald a new era of peace, happiness and tranquility,” Maulana Motabar Shah and Sheikh Bashir told The Express Tribune at the regional chief minister’s office, where they formally announced their unison. Shah and Bashir are top clerics of the Sunni and Shia communities in Napura, respectively.

The ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Mehdi Shah, senior government officials, members of the Masjid Board, jirga members and Shia and Sunni community members of Napura.

Towards the end of the ceremony, the communities unanimously demanded health, transport, and education facilities for their area, saying that the decades-long rivalry stalled progress in the area.

Chief Minister Shah promised to fulfill their demands. “It’s really a historic day for the region,” he said. “I’m ready to extend whatever help is possible to the jirga and the people of Napura.”

In the past four to five years, at least eight people from both sides had been killed in the sectarian violence, not to mention dozen others wounded.

In Gilgit, at least 23 people died and over 60 were wounded in the region’s worst sectarian bouts a couple of years back.

Advocate Mohammad Aslam said he initiated the peace process in November 2011 on a self-help basis and was supported by many others, including SP (retd) Anwar Ali, Dr Usman and Didar Ali.

“Initially, some days were highly frustrating as people refused to cooperate. However, our relentless efforts finally bore fruit,” Aslam said.

The jirga made the community members take an oath for not violating the treaty. Under the treaty, in case of a violation, the jirga would set the culprit’s house on fire and impose a fine of Rs500,000.

By Shabbir Mir for Express Tribune.

An official team of MyGilgit.com, met with student and university staff to discuss issues surrounding education system, facilities and various other grievances.

In two hours meeting, many topics were discussed and recorded video interviews.

Founder and  Manager of MyGilgit.co Piar Ali Allana – along with other team members of MyGilgit.com took questions and propositions regarding University policy, plans and issues.

Student first bought up issues surrounding lack of computer systems, internet speed, university infra structure and inexperience lecturers in KIU.

Interview recorded in Karakoram International University KIU Gilgit Baltistan

Hosted by MyGilgit.com

Imamat day of Prince Karim Agha Khan, the spiritual Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim, was celebrated here on Wednesday.
In this connection, a ceremony was held at the Governor House which was attended by Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Syed Mehdi Shah, provincial ministers, PPP leaders and office bearers and other people in large number.
Imamat day of Prince Karim Agha Khan was officially celebrated in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Addressing to the ceremony, the chief minister lauded the services of Prince Karim Agha Khan for the people of Pakistan. He assured that the provincial government will extend all out cooperation with Karim Agha Khan in his efforts for the welfare of Pakistanis.
The Gilgit-Baltistan government had announced holiday on the occasion. Ceremonies were also held in Hunza, Ghizer and Skardu.

Source Frontierpost

Secretary Law of Gilgit-Baltistan has registered an FIR against two senior journalists of Gilgit-Baltistan for publishing a news item that made him uncomfortable. Abdul Rehman Bukhari, a prolific writer and Bureau Chief of Daily Baad-e-Shumaal and Nazir Naji, the Resident Editor of Daily Bang-e-Sahar were picked by Gilgit police on their way to work place. The Journalists were returning from the budget meeting when the Police hauled them off into vehicles and took them to the city police station.

Mediapersons rushed to the police station to protest against the illegal charges levelled against them and demanded immediate release of the journalists. The journalist community termed the act a state-supervised attack on freedom of press. Late in the night, Sher Khan, the SHO released the journalists. Meanwhile, journalists in all parts of the region condemned the ill-intended action of the Law Minister.

In a protest against the Law Minister, journalists boycotted a function that held at governor house to administer the oath taking ceremony of Raja Azam for his appointment as Minister for Planning and Development. Journalists maintained that the news story that irked the law minister was a reality – the secretary had used foul language against the law minister.

Former President of High Court Bar, Mr. Ehsan Ali has termed the registration of case against journalists illegal and ill-intended. He has asked the journalists to take legal action in the court against the SHO and the Law Minister. “This is violation of human rights and an act of terrorism” Ehsan said.

President of Gilgit-Baltistan Union of Journalists, Tariq Hussain Shah has strongly condemned the incident and termed the registration of the case against two senior journalists and their arrest as a ‘broad daylight banditry into the freedom of speech and expression’. He said that arresting a journalist for reporting a news story is the worse example of terrorism. The secretary law did use a foul language against the Chief Minister and the Law Minister, that was of course a news for public. He demanded the Chief Minister of GB to rein in on such officials whose actions dent the image of the government here in Gilgit-Baltistan. Tariq Hussain told that the Journalists community would continue boycotting official functions until the law minister apologizes the journalists.

It is relevant to mention here that UNESCO has ranked Pakistan the second most dangerous country for journalists in the world. In Gilgit-Baltistan, where an order is a law and a dictation is a constituion, journalists are more likely to become volnerable when they unmask the truth.

Published in dardistantimes

Islamabad—Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has given special compensation in its poverty score benchmark for the families with one or more disabled persons so that they could be supported through the programme throughout the country including Gilgit Baltistan. Also, more deserving families who fall just above the criteria have been given the right to appeal through BISP’s Grievance Redressal System so that more and more deserving families could be included in the programme. This was said by Farzana Raja, Federal Minister and Chairperson BISP while talking to Governor Gilgit Baltistan Pir Syed Karam Ali Shah who visited BISP Secretariat on Wednesday. Raja told the visiting Governor that BISP’s Grievance Redressal Mechanism is a comprehensive online system to resolve all the inclusion and exclusion errors along with resolving all types of complaints by beneficiaries. Federal Minister said that BISP is serving the people of Gilgit Baltistan indiscriminately which is helping the socio-economic empowerment of the region. Governor Gilgit Baltistan Pir Syed Karam Ali Shah appreciated the efforts of Farzana Raja for tackling the menace of poverty from the platform of BISP. He said that the people of Gilgit Baltistan are also getting benefitted from theprogramme like other fellow Pakistanis which has brought them in the national mainstream. Issue of creation of new tehsils in Gilgit Baltistan was also discussed in the meeting and it was agreed between the two leaders that after such notification, BISP offices will be established in new tehsils keeping in view the convenience of the beneficiaries.

Published in pakobserver