By Shabbir Mir in The Express Tribune, Apr 6 GILGIT: Sherbaz Bercha is no ordinary librarian or cataloguer of books, he is a “living encyclopedia”of Gilgit- Baltistan (G-B). Scholars from far and near and research students come to him to seek his help in digging up events from the ancient and modern history of this mountainous region that not so long ago was the subcontinent’s remotest region. Bercha knows the story of his land as…
Posts published in April 2012
GILGIT, April 5: More than 200 people who were travelling in the Gilgit-bound buses attacked by thousands of people near Chilas two days ago reached their destinations safe and sound on Thursday. Most of the passengers were full of praise for the people of Diamer district.“We are grateful to them for plucking us to safety from a furious mob.” A few elders from Diamer escorted the 200 passengers to Gilgit. On the other hand, the…
PESHAWAR, April 4: Speakers at a seminar on Wednesday supported the grant of most favoured nation (MFN) status to India but urged the government to consult all stakeholders on it. Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) organised the seminar on ‘Trade normalisation between Pakistan and India’ in collaboration with Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here at the chamber. Former Pakistani ambassador to World Trade Organisation (WTO) Dr Manzoor Ahmad educated participants on why…
MIRPUR: In Kashmir, two bus routes traverse the Line of Control (Loc) – Muzaffarabad-Srinagar and Rawalakot-Poonch – but residents face a minefield in the journey to receive a travel permit. Since the advent of the bus services in April 2005, thousands of people from both sides of the LoC apply for travel permits every year. The route is primarily for families divided by the border, though the application procedure is long and drawn out. Prospective…
ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader Chaudhary Nisar Ali assailed proposed tour of India by President Asif Ali Zardari. In a statement issued Wednesday, he said the presidentís visit without any agenda and without taking the parliament into confidence is against national respect and dignity.He said Asif Ali Zardari is not a common citizen who could go anywhere anytime. He said India is also not a common state that a Pakistani president visits it at will. He said…
LONDON: A UK based Kashmiri nationalist group has split in two factions after its leaders engaged in a war of words. President of Kashmir National Party, Mohammad Nazim Bhatti, said in a statement to this paper that he had “expelled basic membership of Dr Shabir Chaudhry from KNP”, also barring him from “using the name of any institution of the organization”. Bhatti alleged that “Dr Chaudhry was involved in damaging the struggle of Kashmiris and…
The PPP is finding that there is no easy solution to the problems caused by its own insouciance. At the same time, as it is confronted by the disturbances caused by the violence in Karachi, it has had to put Gilgit under curfew and later, as the situation did not come under control, hand it over to the army. Though Gilgit does not compare with Karachi, which is a provincial capital, it is the capital…
GILGIT-Baltistan plunged once again into violence on Tuesday. A number of people were killed and injured when a grenade was reportedly lobbed at an Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (formerly Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan) rally in Gilgit. Supporters of the ‘banned’ party were demanding the release of a detained leader. Though curfew was imposed rivals continued to trade fire, while there were reports of the violence spreading to Chilas. Tension had been simmering in the region for the…
GILGIT: Authorities clamped a curfew in the Gilgit-Baltistan region and called out the army after 16 people were killed and dozens wounded in one of the worst bouts of sectarian violence in the region. Clashes erupted between Shia and Sunni communities early Tuesday after masked motorcyclists attacked a rally staged by the G-B chapter of Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat [ASWJ] to protest the detention of one of its leaders. According to witnesses, when protesters reached…
GILGIT: A bout of violence claimed 14 lives and left over 50 people injured in Gilgit and nearby Chilas before a curfew was imposed in the region’s capital on Tuesday. “Five people were killed and at least 40 injured in different parts of Gilgit city,” District Magistrate Arqam Tariq said. He said the army had taken over the control of the city and law-enforcement personnel had been ordered to shoot anyone violating the curfew. According…
ISLAMABAD: A two-day seminar on the Pakistan-India Civil Society Review of Strategic Relations emphasised that the people of Kashmir should be equal stakeholders in any peace process and dialogue between the two countries. Recommendations formulated at the end of the conference in New Delhi stated that the civil societies of Pakistan and India should set up study groups to conduct a comprehensive analysis of problems regarding the sharing of water in the Indus Basin and…