A large number of students from Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday took out a protest rally against the killing of two people in Hunza by police during their protest against the government’s failure to meet the demands of Attabad affectees. The students marched from the National Press Club to the Parliament House where they staged a sit-in. They chanted slogans against the Gilgit-Baltistan government and demanded resignation of Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah.
At least two affectees of Attabad Lake were killed and five others hurt on Thursday after the police opened fire on the protesters when they blocked Karakoram Highway in a protest against the government for its failure to fulfil the promises made it to them.
Speaking on the occasion, Faiz Ullah Faraq, a student leader, termed the incident the worst violation of human rights and demanded the government to put an end to what he called state terrorism in Gilgit-Baltistan. He alleged the Gilgit-Baltistan government was patronising violence, adding that most of the incidents went unnoticed. “This is not for the first time that the state machinery has killed innocent people in the broad daylight; last year, they killed several people for protesting for their rights while a few days ago the police in Ghizer district again opened fire at the peaceful people who were protesting against power shortage,” he added. He slammed Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly Speaker Wazir Baig for ignoring his constituency (Hunza) after the Attaabad incident. “The speaker is silent to the present day over the injustices done to the affected people of Attaabad Lake,” he alleged.
The young protesters warned that the protests would resume across the country from the coming Monday and the people of GB would hold countrywide rallies.
The protesters accused the Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister of pursuing a pre-planned agenda of the state machinery to silence voice of the people. The protestors demanded the CM’s resignation and an independent judicial inquiry into the matter. They appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to take a suo motu notice of the situation.
Political personalities, including Shabir Ahmed Khan and Kamila Aman of the MQM, joined the protest.
