Nanga Parbat massacre: Thousands protest against the ‘unprecedented’ incident

Locals worry about the impact on tourism which is one of the main sources of income.

GILGIT:

Thousands of people participated in a demonstration in Chilas town on Monday against the vicious massacre of foreign tourists near the base camp of Pakistan’s second highest peak – Nanga Parbat.

“We strongly condemn the brutal act which defamed the entire country especially Diamer valley,” said Taifoor Shah, a local leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, as he addressed the rally.

Tourism is one of the main sources of income for locals. Those committing such crimes want to deprive people of livelihood, pointed out Shah.



Life came to a standstill as traders closed their shops to express solidarity with the affected families. More than 4,000 people gathered at the ‘Siddiq Akbar’ intersection to protest against the incident; one which has been termed unprecedented in the history of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Armed men, dressed in Gilgit Scouts uniforms, stormed a camp at Kutgali near the base camp of Nanga Parbat early Sunday, and shot down 10 foreign mountaineers and a Pakistani guide at point blank range. A Chinese climber managed to escape the assault at the foot of Nanga Parbat, located in Diamer valley.



Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Haji Waheed termed the act a conspiracy against the public, aimed at derailing projects like the Diamer–Bhasha Dam and railway track project with China. These were announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently.

“Our enemies don’t want us to progress but we as a nation have to counter such plots,” said Waheed.

Among others, the rally was also addressed by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal’s Shabbir Ahmad and Maulana Giyas who asked the government to arrest culprits and expose them to the public.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2013.