Situation remains tense after Gilgit, Chilas bedlam

GILGIT: Complete shutter down strike was observed in Skardu and adjoining areas on Wednesday after a day of violent incidents in Gilgit-Baltistan that claimed at least 14 lives and left 50 others injured on Tuesday.

The violence had prompted the government to deploy troops and impose a curfew. Educational institutions and business activities were thus closed and attendance in government offices remained thin. Traffic was also less than normal, and the situation remained volatile despite the curfew. Reports of sporadic firings poured in from some areas.

After Tuesday's bloody violence in Gilgit and target killings in Chilas, the situation remained volatile despite the clamping of curfew and jamming of mobile service. Reports of sporadic firings kept pouring in from some areas on Wednesday.

Sources said on the directives of Interior MinisterRehman Malik, mobile phone services were jammed in Gilgit on Wednesday, bringing communication to a standstill. A strict curfew has also been imposed to overcome the riots that broke out after unidentified men lobbed a hand grenade on a protest rally.

It could not be ascertained when the communication system will be restored and the curfew lifted. Bulletproof vehicles of the army and other security forces were seen patrolling the deserted roads of Gilgit all day.

Meanwhile, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah is in Naudero to offer fateha on the 33rd death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Curfew has also been extended in the adjacent area of Danyore after a man was killed there, while protests were held in Skardu, Ghizer and Astore valley against the violence, with protestors demanding punishment for the culprits. Residents also complained of running short of food items in their homes due to the imposition of curfew.

In Skardu strike was observed on Wednesday in protest against the target killing in Chilas. Astore was also tense due to Gilgit's bedlam. Government sources said all private channels have been gagged while Astore Deputy Commissioner Shahbaz Tahir Nadeem has prohibited all traffic at entry and exit roads in his district.