These incidents, happening as they did in the space of a week, are extremely worrying for the local residents.
KARACHI: Hunza is famous the world over for its beautiful mountain scenery and its peaceful and harmonious culture. However, this peaceful paradise turned into a living hell when on August 11 local police opened fire on a group of people who were peacefully protesting, demanding much-delayed compensation that the government had promised them after their homes were destroyed by the creation of an artificial lake at Attabad following a massive landslide last year. As a result of the shooting, a retired army man and his son of 22 years lost their lives.
And they, along with others, were only demanding that the government compensate them for their lost homes, which should be the right of any citizen in a democracy. Some days before this particular incident, on August 5 to be precise, a group of non-local people attacked one of the villages, Hussaini, in upper Hunza. They kept the people of the village under siege for several hours and looted several shops in the process. The local administration and the police did nothing for the duration of this ‘raid’ and nothing afterwards either, to catch the attackers.
These incidents, happening as they did in the space of a week, are extremely worrying for the local residents. It is the duty of the government to provide security and safety to the lives and property of citizens, a duty it is clearly failing to carry out. Also, it must be said that the government must place top priority on taking measures to drain the artificial lake so that the people affected by the natural disaster can try and lead normal lives once again.
Muhammad Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2011.
