by Sabir Shah in the News, June 24 LAHORE: The recent killing of nine international tourists at the base camp of the world’s ninth tallest mountain of Nanga Parbat near Gilgit by Taliban to avenge the death of one of their leaders killed in a drone strike, is not the first time when foreigners, their worship places, business houses, work places, embassies and other installations have been targeted in Pakistan since the September 11, 2001…
Posts published in “Day: June 24, 2013”
LAHORE: Already wary of non-professional tourist guides, touts and the ever-deteriorating law and order situation in Pakistan, members of reputed international travel forums like Couch Surfing, Hospitality Club, Virtual Tourist and the Thorn Tree Lonely Planet etc have reported that following the killing of foreign trekkers near Gilgit late on Saturday night, the local police had not allowed vehicles carrying foreigners to proceed up the Karakoram Highway (KKH) from the checkpoint near Dubair, about 20…
By Waqas Naeem in The Express Tribune, June 24 ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Association of Tour Operators (PATO) has condemned the brutal killing of nine foreign tourists near Nanga Parbat in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and urged the military and government authorities to immediately seal the area and search the gunmen. “It takes 18 hours on foot to reach the road,” PATO President Amjad Ayub said, adding that 18 hours have not passed since the incident and if…
ISLAMABAD: Tour operators criticised the law-enforcement agencies on Sunday after the Gilgit-Baltistan base camp attack and said they did nothing except checking buses on the Karakoram Highway. They accused security personnel of not making efforts to apprehend the attackers who could not have reached the road in less than 18 hours because of the difficult terrain. Talking to Dawn, Ghulam Nabi, owner of the Fairy Meadow Tours, said there were three zones in the mountains…
Beijing: China on Sunday asked the Pakistani government to “guarantee the safety and legitimate rights of Chinese citizens in Pakistan” as it condemned the attack on foreign tourists in Gilgit-Baltistan, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported. In a pre-dawn attack, gunmen dressed as paramilitary forces killed nine foreign tourists in an unprecedented attack in Gilgit-Baltistan. At least three Chinese and five Ukrainian climbers were killed in the attack on the base camp. “The Foreign Ministry on…
By Zahid Gishkori & Umer Nangiana in The Express Tribune, June 24 ISLAMABAD: In the aftermath of the killing of foreign tourists at a Nanga Parbat base camp, the federal government has suspended the chief secretary and inspector general of Gilgit-Baltistan, and constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the tragedy. “A joint investigation team will investigate the incident to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice,” Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali…
By Shabbir Mir in The Express Tribune, June 24 GILGIT: The deadly attack on tourists near Nanga Parbat’s base camp on Sunday drew strong condemnation from the public, with many urging the government to expose the “hidden hands” threatening the security of the region. In a pre-dawn attack, gunmen dressed as paramilitary forces killed nine foreign tourists in an unprecedented attack in Gilgit-Baltistan. At least three Chinese and five Ukrainian climbers were killed in the…
GILGIT, June 23: ….. Jundullah, another militant group with a track record of attacks in Gilgit-Baltistan, was the first to say it was behind the incident “These foreigners are our enemies and we proudly claim responsibility for killing them, and will continue such attacks in the future,” Jundullah spokesman Ahmed Marwat told Reuters by telephone. The attackers beat up the Pakistanis who were accompanying the tourists, took their money and tied them up, a local…
By Tahir Khan in The Express Tribune, June 24 ISLAMABAD: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility on Sunday for the killing of nine foreign tourists and their guide in Gilgit-Balitistan. Postmortem of the tourists confirmed that their deaths were caused by firing. The incident took place near a camp base, where the tourists were staying. TTP spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan called The Express Tribune and said the group’s faction named Junud-e-Hafsa carried out the brutal attack.…
By Shabbir Mir in The Express Tribune, June 24 GILGIT: Chief Minister Gilgit–Baltistan Mehdi Shah on Sunday applauded the performance of Chief Secretary G-B and regional police chief hours after Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan suspended them for failing to provide security to the foreign tourists in Nanga Parbat. “Removing both the officials before launching an inquiry in to the tourists’ incident is not in the interest of G-B,” said a press note issued…