Following a week of sectarian strife, the capital of Gilgit-Baltistan on Monday saw temporary relief as Chief Minister Mehdi Shah succeeded in deferring the strike called by the aggrieved Shia community.

Though no untoward incident was reported in any part of the region, residents avoided visiting markets in the city amid fears that fresh violence could break out, after it escalated last week when 16 people were killed in Kohistan.

Following Sunday’s clash in Baseen that left three men injured, including a Gilgit scout official, security was beefed up in the city as another 100 policemen were moved in from Skardu.

Police and scouts carried out body searches of those travelling by car and foot all day at various check posts, resulting in long queues of vehicles.

At least three people have been killed, with five injured, following the Kohistan bus incident last week.

Earlier, Mehdi Shah met Shia clerics in a bid to retract the strike call.

The clerics, following a meeting with Interior Minister Rehman Malik in Gilgit last week, had given a week’s deadline to the government to fulfill their demands, including the arrest of perpetrators and enhanced compensation to the victims of the Kohistan tragedy, army patrols on the Karakoram Highway and the extension of Gilgit airport.

An official from the G-B government said that “Mehdi Shah, along with some cabinet members, met the clergy in the central Imambargah and convinced them to put off the strike call.”

The clerics, however, made it clear to the chief minister that the situation would slip out of their control if the government failed to honour its commitments.

Meanwhile, the district administration in Skardu also imposed Section 144 in the city to discourage public assemblies.

Sunni clerics in Gilgit have termed the bus incident a conspiracy against Gilgit-Baltistan. In a statement issued on Monday, they said that if G-B cannot become a constitutional province, the region should be annexed with Azad Jammu Kashmir.

Published in The Express Tribune

The G-B chief minister has spent about 70% of his time in Islamabad in the past year, according to sources close to him.

Moreover, since the beginning of the winter season most lawmakers, including G-B Governor Pir Karam Ali Shah, Deputy Speaker Jamil Ahmed, Senior Minister Wazir Jaffer, adviser to chief minister and several other officials have stayed in Islamabad and other cities.

“The capital city is bleeding while the chief minister and his cabinet members are living in luxury in Islamabad,” said Imtiaz Khan, a local resident while referring to the recent attack on JUI-F information secretary.

In addition to that, the capital city of G-B has also witnessed the worst power crisis in its history, bringing life to a complete standstill.

Jehanzeb Hussain, a resident of Jutial, said, “With every case of target killing, the feeling of alienation gets multiplied among residents, who blame the government for ignoring the gravity of the issue.”

Taking note of the growing criticism from the people, the chief minister recently ordered the lawmakers to ensure their presence in the region and play their part in addressing people’s issues.

“If lawmakers have to go out of town for personal reasons, they should avail their leaves,” he said. Even though Gilgit has a long history of target killings, the situation has aggravated since 2005, when a religious scholar was targeted.

Most of the residents believe the situation has become out of control for the government, which has simply failed to arrest the culprits behind the violence.

Published in The Express Tribune

Gilgit, Taking notice of the frequent incidents of terrorism in the Gilgit, Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Syed Mehdi Shah has directed the law enforcement agencies to take stern action against the militants.

He ordered the agencies on Thursday to submit a report to him in this regard.

The DSP of investigation wing Muhammad Ibrahim was gunned down by unknown attackers on Wednesday evening in front of his home in Gilgit city. He was taken to hospital but succumbed to injuries.

In a separate incident, a young man Sikandar, hailing from Shigar area of Baltistan, was also killed. The body of the deceased was hanged with a tree.

Same day, in another incident of terrorism, a resident of Burmus area, Azizur Rehman was injured in firing near Jamat Khana Bazar Gilgit.

A man identified as Sher Ullah Baig (Sheru), was killed and five others injured when police opened fire at the affectees of Attababad Lake on the arrival of Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan.

According to reports, later the enraged protesters attacked Aliabad police station and set it on fire. They also torched four vehicles and office of the deputy commissioner.

The sources said that the affectees of Attabad Lake were protesting against delay in the compensation at the arrival of Chief Minister Mehdi Shah. Police tried to disperse them resulting the protest turned violent and the protesters started pelting stones on the police.

Following this police started baton-charge and opened fire as a result a protester was killed and four others were injured.

Later, the infuriated protesters attacked Aliabad police station and set it on fire. They also torched four vehicles and office of the deputy commissioner.

Protesters attack Gulmit Police Station, officials flee

Source (Pamir Times) Police in Ailabad, Hunza, have opened fire on peaceful protesters, inuring five people. The injured were immediately shifted to hospitals in the major town, where one person has , reportedly, succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. This is the most violent case of police action in the history of Hunza Valley.

The protesters were mostly those affected by the Attabad landslide disaster and the damming of Hunza River, belonging to Shishkat and Ayeenabad. They were protesting on arrival of the Chief Minister, Syed Mehdi Shah, to the region and demanding early release of funds for rehabilitation.

According to initial reports those injured include one from Aliabad, a student who was caught in the firing on his way back from college, and four protesters from Ayeenabad and Shishkat. Names of the killed and injured are not known at this stage.

Hundreds of people are coming out on streets across the region, protesting against the police brutality and failure of the district administration and government to protect innocent citizens.

The protesting public in Aliabad, after police shelling, have attacked the police station in Ailabad and put it on fire.

Religious and social circles have condemned the incident and asked the people to calm down and allow the law to come in action. They have appealed to the appeal to not take law into their hands.

Enraged public torch Aliabad Police Station, Civil Court building and DC camp office

Enraged public have gone on an unparalleled rampage in Hunza Valley, torching important public buildings, including Aliabad Police Station, Civil Court, and camp office of Deputy Commissioner Hunza – Nagar. The protesters are reportedly marching towards Garelth, where office of the Superintendent of Police (SP) is located.

The violent protests started in retaliation to a brutal incident in involving policemen who opened fire on a group of protesters, killing one and critically injuring four more. There are unconfirmed reports about death of 2 people.

Three of the injured have been shifted to Gilgit for medical care.

A senior leader of PPP Gilgit – Baltistan, Manzoor Hussain (aka Manzoor Bagoro), who has recently resigned from the government after developing differences with GB Chief Minister, has condemned the incident and said that instigation of violence in Hunza Valley is part of a “deep conspiracy”. He has demanded immediate action against all involved in the conspiracy.

Protesters attack Gulmit Police Station, officials flee

According to one report hundreds of people have attacked the Gulmit Police Station and smashed all the windows and doors. The police officials have left the station and escaped.

Hundreds of people hadgathered in Shishkat, Gulmit, Hussaini and Sost, villages of Gojal Hunza, to protest against the terrorism of police in Aliabad town of Central Hunza, in which two people were killed, and three more were injured.

One of the person killed in the incident has been identified as Sher Ullah Baig (Sheru), 50, hailing from Ayeenabad, Gojal, Hunza. He was, reportedly, a retired soldier of Pakistan Army.

Protesters in Shishkat have, reportedly, blocked the dammed Hunza River for boat traffic. Authorities in Sost have also also closed down the Dry Port for indefinite period.

“Hundreds of people have gathered in Gulmit and they are chanting slogans against the government and district administration”, an eye-wtiness told Pamir Times

Gilgit: Hundreds of people in Zulfiqarabad locality of Gilgit city took to the street, burning tyres in protest, and chanting slogans against the police and GB government. The main Shahra-e-Qauid-e-Azam has been blocked by the protesters since 1 O’clock in the afternoon, till posting of this report.

The protesters are expressing their rage against the government and demanding action against the district administration of Hunza – Nagar and the police officials, as well as public representatives.

Speakers in Gilgit have harshly criticized Mehdi Shah sarkar for failing to reign in the police.

It is pertinent to note that a couple of months back police had opened fire on flood affected protesters of Khainar Village, in Diamer Valley, injuring two and arresting many, while they were demanding restoration of electricity supply for their flood-ravaged village.

Nasirabad: According to reports protesters in Nasirabad (Hindi) village of Shinaki Hunza have blocked the Karakuram Highway in protest against the the terrorism of police in Aliabad, Hunza.

Source (dardistantimes) The Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, Mr. Mehdi Shah participated in the Annual Sports Week of Public School and College in Skardu. Parents, teachers and school administration were envisaging Shah to encourage knowledge, excellence, learning, and merit — the ideals that a sound minded would like to see instilled in the teens. But, guess what, he uttered none of those beautiful words. Instead, Shah elaborated that he became the Chief Minister, for he was always a dumb student.

“My classmates were brilliant and I was always a dumb student and that’s why I am the Chief Minister”, Shah exemplified himself.

Shah, even, did not say that the street-cred, public opinion, democratic values or something similar to that pushed him to serve his nation or to become a Chief Minister. Instead, he said that, after God, it was Zardari who made him the Chief Minister. Democracy exposed!

The School kids were further astonished the way Shah lied to them that he has pursued a Ph.D. in politics.  As a matter of fact, Mehdi Shah holds only a secondary school certificate. Isn’t it a masterpiece classic hoax?

Speaking to his own people, Shah reaffirmed his allegiance to Larkana and to Zardari family. “Throughout my life, I have remained loyal and committed to one party and will remain so”, Shah said. That is right sir, why to waste expressing allegiance to the  poor people.

Jail qualifications, crime-credit, protégé-history and favouritism; all are serious social evils and it is unfortunate that politicians in our country so brazenly account them for their success stories.

The courts, at least, in Gilgit-Baltisan should bane speakers who publicly coquet dumbness, legal convictions, jail history (Ham Ney Jailein Kati Hain), police charges, favouritism, nepotism or public offences in their success stories. Keep the child away from the social evils!

If the political jugglers keep marketing these social evils to leverage their politics, evil, will no more remain an evil and what else could be a serious social evil than dumbness or ignorance? ( DT Talking Points)

Source ((Dardistan Times)) The Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan has announced to pour 100 million rupees into Ghizar-1 constituency of Gilgit-Baltistan. The announcement was made during a public address in Ishqamen 3 days before the by-election on March 30th. The CM, in his public address even did not leave it secret that there is a link between his announcements and the oncoming election.