ISLAMABAD: Even eleven days after the worst ever violence hit the once peaceful Gilgit-Baltistan following the massacre of at least 23 men and women at Chilas on April 3, there is no one in the regional government to come up with accurate figures of how many are still missing and what exactly the death toll is.
The Governor Pir Karam Ali Shah and Chief Minister Mehdi Shah have stayed away from their people as well as from the media for reasons unknown to them in the most critical times of the region’s history. Life continues to remain at a standstill, as neither the government offices nor educational institutions have been re-opened; moreover, business and trade is also close to a halt.
A prominent cleric from Gilgit-Baltistan Allama Nayyer Abbas, who has been at a sit-in near the Parliament House since last week, while talking to The News here appeared absolutely clueless about how many poor people became the victim of terrorists on the eventful day.
“There is curfew in Gilgit and elsewhere, and mobile service has also been suspended besides suspension of road and air traffic, therefore, we don’t know how many people fell victim to the terrorist act. But it is a fact many are missing since that day,” he said. He said over 200 men, women and children were speculated to be missing since April 03, whereas at least 23 had been massacred: many were sprayed with bullets, others stoned to death and some were thrown into the nearby river after tying up their hands and legs.
The scholar noted a 20-kg flour sack was being sold at Rs2000, while petrol and diesel at Rs200 per litre, whereas there was acute shortage of edibles and more importantly non-availability of medicines was hitting the residence hard after the uncalled for curfew was clamped on Gilgit and some other areas.
Leaving the region in seething unrest, next day both Governor Pir Karam Ali Shah and Chief Minister Mehdi Shah left Gilgit-Baltistan to attend the ceremonies in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh in connection with the hanging of late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, as for them it was more important to be at Naudero instead of among their people, who were in the grip of grief and insecurity.
This correspondent repeatedly tried to get views of the governor as well as the chief minister but they preferred not to respond.
“Please ask this question to the governor and chief minister,” reluctantly remarked Muhammad Musa, Special Assistant to the chief minister. http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-13954-Governor-CM-stay-away-at-critical-time
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