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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…

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…

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…

GILGIT: Two people were killed and four others injured when law-enforcement personnel opened fire on a procession taken out in Chilas on Thursday to demand acceptance of their demands before the beginning of work on the Diamer-Bhasha Dam. According to witnesses and police, the protesters marched towards Wapda Colony and pelted the offices of Water and Power Development Authority with stones when police fired teargas shells. In the meantime, Frontier Corps personnel opened fire, killing…

MUZAFFARABAD, Feb 17: In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the AJK government has made long due transfers and postings of senior government officials, mainly the secretaries, including the most powerful secretary Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) after six years. According to a notification issued here on Wednesday, secretary law justice and parliamentary affairs Farhat Ali Mir was appointed secretary S&GAD and food replacing Fayyaz Akhtar Chaudhry. Mr Chaudhry who is younger brother of AJK Supreme…

By Masood Rehman ISLAMABAD: Attorney General Anwar Mansoor told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that a meeting of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Council would be convened to resolve the “judicial crisis” in AJK. A three-member Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed and Justice Ghulam Rabbani was hearing identical petitions against the appointment of the AJK chief justice. Appearing on notice, Attorney General Mansoor asked the court…

By Zulfiqar Ali Khan in The Dawn, Feb 17 HUNZA, Feb 16: Hundreds of people, including students and patients, stranded in Gojal valley and Hunza have expressed concern over the condition of boats provided by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for ferrying them between the two landslide-affected areas. Over 500 people stranded in Gojal and Hunza due to the blockade of Karakoram Highway (KKH) by a lake formed on Hunza River after the January…

MUZAFFARABAD, Feb 16: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has taken strong exception to the alleged substandard construction of an important artery by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), and has decided to take up the matter with the National Highway Authority (NHA). The decision was taken at a high-level meeting held here on Tuesday to review the progress in communications sector. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider and attended among…