Demise: Gilgit-Baltistan lawmaker passes away in Islamabad

Mufti Abdullah of the PML-N was elected to the G-B Assembly in 2009.

GILGIT:

Mufti Abdullah, a senior lawmaker of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), passed away late Friday night in Islamabad.

82-year-old Abdullah was a resident of Khaplu, Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and had been elected a member of the G-B legislative assembly in the 2009 elections. He was also a recognised religious scholar and had written several books.

Following his deteriorating health, Abdullah had been shifted to a hospital in Islamabad last week where he remained till his death.

The PML-N’s senior leadership and others have expressed their condolences over the death of the respected veteran politician.

Following Abdullah’s demise, PML-N’s strength in the G-B assembly has been reduced to only one member.

However, the party gained another member on Saturday when Agha Ahmad Shah of the Pakistan Peoples Party joined the PML-N.

The announcement was made during a public rally held in Skardu. The rally was addressed by PML-N G-B chief Hafizur Rahman while central leader Siddiqul Farooq also spoke to the gathering from Islamabad via telephone.



Drowned teenager’s body missing

The body of a teenager believed to have drowned in the Gilgit River on Friday could not be traced after a day’s search.

Zain, 16, had been swimming in a river near Ampheri when the current swept him away. Local volunteers launched a search operation, but remained unsuccessful till the filing of this report.

Water levels in rivers and channels have increased with glaciers melting. In 2011, the Gilgit district administration banned swimming in Gilgit River following the deaths of around 10 people, who drowned in separate incidents.

Chitral resident electrocuted

A resident of Chitral Valley died of electrocution in Thore, Chilas on Saturday.

Jan Muhammad was reportedly repairing a fan when a short circuit killed him. Police said his body was being transported back to his hometown in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2013.