GILGIT, Feb 26: A group of students and youth from Gojal staged a protest demonstration outside Gilgit-Baltistan Secretariat and denounced lack of health facilities as well as scarcity of wheat flour in the valley, which is cut off due to an artificial lake formed following landslide in Atabad Hunza, on January 4. The police baton charged the protesters and arrested two persons who were later released on personal surety. Earlier the protesters gathered outside the…
Posts published in February 2010
The writer is an advocate of the high court Mangla Dam was built between 1961 and 1967 primarily to increase the amount of water that could be used for irrigation from the flow of the Jhelum and its tributaries. It was constructed pursuant to the Indus Water Treaty and with funding from the World Bank. The core trench of Mangla Dam is 10,300 feet long and 454 feet high with a reservoir of 253 square…
The reviewer is a staff member of the daily Book Title:Hijacking From the Ground: The Bizarre Story of PK 805 By Aminullah Chaudry Authorhouse; Pp 350 Aminullah Chaudry’s book begins as an oxymoron. We are all accustomed to hearing about hijackings that, as a rule, take place in mid-air but not this one, one orchestrated from the ground; when conventions are defied and the norm is challenged, the aftermath is talked about for days to…
ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday announced to start work on the proposed Diamer-Bhasha Dam in July-August this year, as it has formed a ministerial committee to settle the victims’ compensation issue by March 1. Briefing media persons after chairing a meeting here, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo said a sub-committee had been formed under Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Mehdi Shah to prepare a compensation package in consultation with the representatives…
TAXILA, Feb 22: In the wake of law and order situation and killing of an abducted Sikh allegedly by Taliban in Khyber Agency, the authorities have cut short the visit of the Indian Sikh pilgrims from three days to one day who arrived here at Gurdwara Punja Sahib Hassanabdal to offer religious their rituals. Earlier their stay was planned for three days from February 21 to 23 to participate in “Saka Nankana Sahib Anniversary” which…
NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s zeal to insert the “water issue” in the bilateral talks is being seen here as an attempt to divert popular attention back home from the mismanagement of its water resources and the growing discontent in Sindh and Balochistan over the denial of their share of Indus waters. Analysts here have been struck by the way Pakistan’s political class and the jehadi establishment have teamed up to unleash a propaganda offensive against India’s…
LANDI KOTAL, Feb 21: Militants have beheaded a kidnapped Sikh in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency after his relatives failed to pay ransom, according to his family. Jaspal Singh and two other Sikhs were kidnapped from the Chora Tanga area of Tirah two weeks ago. According to the family, the kidnappers had demanded Rs20 million by Feb 20 for Mr Jaspal’s release. Sources said that a jirga of some local elders and relatives of the…
By Jeremy Page in Delhi A Pakistan-based militant group has reportedly warned foreigners not to attend three upcoming international sporting events in India, while another one has claimed responsibility for a deadly weekend bomb attack on a city in western India. Ilyas Kashmiri, an alleged al-Qaeda operative who heads the notorious militant 313 Brigade, contacted the Asia Times Online to warn foreigners not to come to the Hockey World Cup this month, the Indian Premier…
THERE is no doubt that disproportionate force was used by security personnel in Chilas on Thursday when they killed two protesters and injured at least four. The dead and injured were part of a group that was marching towards Wapda Colony to press for the acceptance of local residents’ demands related to the Diamer-Bhasha dam. True, the protesters were not entirely peaceful. But in a country like Pakistan, some may question whether pelting a government…
By Farooq Ahmed GILGIT: Protests were held in Gilgit and Diamer on Friday against the killing of two protesters in Chilas allegedly by law-enforcement personnel. Life came to a standstill in Chilas, the headquarters of Diamer district, as markets, shops, restaurants and offices were closed as part of a three-day mourning announced by local leaders. The two people were killed and four others injured on Thursday in firing allegedly by Frontier Constabulary personnel during protests…
By Abdul Hanif Khan Astori Delegation of semi-autonomous powers to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan is one of the biggest achievements of the present government. This, no doubt, is a fruitful effort towards delegation of administrative powers to the people of this land of 200 million inhabitants, spreading over 27,000 kms of area. This act on the part of Pakistan is one step forward to meet her international commitment to let the people of Jammu and…