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Posts published in May 2012

Traders strike at Sust Dry Port enters 10th day

GILGIT, May 30: The traders at Sust Dry Port are on strike for the past ten days, suspending all activities. More than 100 containers have been stuck up due to the strike. President of the Gilgit-Baltistan Chamber of Commerce Javed Khan told this correspondent on Wednesday that the strike would continue until the grievances of the traders’ community were addressed by the government. He said the basic demand of the trades was that the government…

GBLA passes law to curb sectarianism.

GILGIT: In a historic move the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA) on Monday enacted a law to curb sectarian menace that has plagued the mountain region. The GBLA has become the first provincial legislature to have enacted a law dealing with sectarianism. Titled “Code of Conduct” (CoC), the bill was unanimously passed by the GBLA after being tabled in the house by Law Minister Wazir Shakeel on Friday. “CoC has been given a legal status and…

US team approaches G-B police chief for security cover

By Shabbir Mir in The Express Tribune, May 29 GILGIT: The United States embassy in Islamabad directly approached Gilgit-Baltistan’s (G-B) Inspector General Police Hussain Akhtar to provide security for an official US delegation visiting the region on May 30, official sources confirmed to The Express Tribune on Monday. Surprisingly, the schedule of the three-member delegation including Second Secretary Lisa Arunee Buzenas, Second Secretary Kimberly Gayle Phelan and security assistant Javed Khalid was not communicated to…

Ringleader of highwaymen arrested in GB

GILGIT, May 26: Police in Diamer district claimed to have arrested the ringleader of a robbers gang that was active on the Karakuram Highway. “We have arrested the gang leader, which used to rob people not only on highway but also in various cities of the region,” said a police official. The official said SP Diamer Bashir Ahmed constituted a team comprising three station house officers which arrested the ringleader of robbers. Police said four…

Mangla Dam to be filled to maximum capacity

MIRPUR: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) has announced that it plans to fill the Mangla Dam, whose capacity is being enhanced, up to its maximum level of 1,242 feet this year subject to availability of water. The standard operating procedure in this regard has already been approved by the Government of Pakistan. The plan was revealed by Wapda Chairman Shakil Durrani during a briefing regarding the Mangla Dam Raising Project to Azad Jammu…

Tripartite talks urged to resolve Kashmir dispute

By AH Nizami  in The Express Tribune, May 27 MIRPUR: Speakers at a seminar on Saturday called for peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute through tripartite talks among the leaders of Pakistan, India and Jammu and Kashmir. The day-long national conference on “Islamic Law, International Community and the Global Peace” was organised by the Islamic Ideological Council of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, headed by AJK Supreme Court Chief Justice Muhammad Azam Khan. The conference was…

Diamer-Bhasha Dam: G-B lawmaker demands probe into ‘misplaced’ turbines

By Shabbir Mir  in The Express Tribune GILGIT: A legislator of Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA) has asked the government to verify reports of a few turbines of Diamer-Bhasha Dam being purposefully fixed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) territory. “This is a cause of concern for Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B),” said Didar Ali, an independent lawmaker, who alleged that it is an attempt by K-P government to get a share of the dam’s royalty. He said that if the…

Minister calls for more power to GBLA

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA) unanimously passed the “Prevention of Cruelty on Animals” act on Wednesday. Under the new law, the trade of wild animals’ hides and activities like dog-fighting have been banned and violators are liable to punishment and even imprisonment. However, Regional Law Minister Wazir Shakeel, who earlier tabled the act, lambasted the federal government for restricting the assembly’s role to lawmaking on subjects like animals’ rights. “This is not fair. The…

Prisoners set jail barracks on fire in Gilgit: report in Dawn, May 24

GILGIT, May 23: Prisoners in the district jail Gilgit turned violent on Wednesday and set barracks on fire following acquittal of two under-trial prisoners charged in two high profile murder cases. But due to timely action of the fire brigade staff, the fire was put out, avoiding extensive damage to the building. Police said after getting wind of the disturbance they rushed a contingent to the jail to overcome the situation. Administration officials said two…

Riots in central jail Gilgit: Denied cell phones, inmates set 15 barracks on fire

By Shabbir Mir in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2012. GILGIT: A prisoner of Central Jail Gilgit was injured and over 15 barracks were gutted in a fire set by rioting inmates on Wednesday, sources privy to the developments told The Express Tribune. The sources said that the fire broke out in an under-construction portion of the jail and spread quickly. It took firefighters more than two hours to bring the flames under control. “I…

China approves $448 million loan for Neelum-Jhelum project

By Khalid Mustafa in The News, May 23 ISLAMABAD: China’s EXIM bank has approved the much-awaited loan of $448 million for the strategic 969 megawatt Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project following which the construction work on the project is likely to get accelerated, officials said. They said it would provide solace to the Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project company as the project that was earlier feared to get delayed on account of cash flow constraints. Current slowdown in the…