Source (Pamir Times) Office of a newspaper, “Daily K2″, has been attacked by a gang of around 15 people in Skardu, the headquarter of Baltistan division. The attackers broke into the office and tied the security guard to chair, before smashing the furniture and fixtures.

Daily k2 website http://www.dailyk2.com

A source at Karakuram Publishing Network (KPN) told that the police did not show up despite of being in vicinity of the office. He blamed Chief Minister Mehdi Shah for the attack, saying the attackers were his men. It is pertinent to note that earlier an employee of of K2 had been detained by the police. The police had also raided office of KPN and taken several files and records with them. The tussle has started after Daily K2 reported an incident of gang rape in Rondu, which the alleged ‘victim’ later denied at the Supreme Appellate Court. Police sources have said that the raid was conducted according to court orders. The latest attack on Daily K2 has shocked the journalist fraternity across Gilgit – Baltistan and Pakistan, who have condemned the action and termed it to be equal to suppressing the right of free speech. Journalists in Gilgit have, reportedly, announced to stage a protest demonstration in front of the Chief Minister House, located next to the Gilgit – Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA).

Source (Tribune) The killing of a man and his son and the ensuing incidents in Hunza last week widened the rift between Gilgit-Baltistan’s chief minister and assembly speaker, weakening the position of both leaders in the region, sources said on Tuesday.

“The incident at the first instance was a shock for speaker Wazir Baig, who himself belongs to Hunza,” a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said, while requesting anonymity. He added that the series of arrests that came in wake of the riots shattered the trust of the speaker who now holds CM Mehdi Shah and his government responsible.

Baig faced relentless criticism from the people of Gojal who had been stranded in the valley due to the formation of the Attabad Lake and the submergence of Karakoram Highway.

The PPP source said that the problems faced by the people, together with the delay in compensation caused huge embarrassment for the speaker being a native of Hunza.

Although he tried his best to come up to people’s expectations, he failed to resolve any issue.

“In addition to these issues, the killings and riots added fuel to fire and Baig burst out at the bureaucracy for hatching conspiracies against his government,” the source added.

The chief minister, in turn, decided to ‘cut Baig to size’ after learning about his ‘unwarranted’ comments, according to the source.

Source (Dardistantimes) The Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan has claimed that he has done Ph.D in Politics and that nothing is left there to teach him about the intricacies of governance in the region. This was said in a political campaign gathering at Gahkuch. The Chief Minister did not even realize that the government of Gilgit-Baltistan has officially declared on its web site that Mehdhi Shah holds only a Secondary school certificate. “If I were incompetent somebody else would have been the Chief Minister of the region. I know everything about Politics, so do not try to teach me and do not take advantage of my leniency. The political standing of PPP in Ghizar is sky high and that is what really makes others nervous to question my credentials” Mehdhi Shah Said Shah, apparently was marketing his competency in response to the growing concerns of young educated people of Gilgit-Baltistan who do not feel comfortable with the leadership of a high School graduate. Earlier, Nawaz Khan Naji, has said that Mehdhi Shah is an illiterate person and it is an unfortunate thing for the educated people of Gilgit-Baltistan to assume the leadership of a person whose vision and thought is limited to entry level employment promises. It is relevant to mention that the by-election in Ghizar has become an ego problem for PPP led government of Gilgit-Baltistan. The Chief Minister along with his party Governor is under the fire of criticism for using every government resources to buy votes. An otherwise forgotten District, Ghizar has been distributed bags of fertilizers and flour in the past few months to wheedle political support for PPP candidates in the constituency. The rival parties in the region claime that the PPP government has voilated the basic ethics of democracy by using government resources to enfluence the electoral machanism.