Apart from the rising human rights violations, incidents such as the Havelian plane crash and Othor Nala landsliding in the restive Kohistan district, the region also witnessed outbreaks of diseases such as the Congo virus and dengue fever.
In the beginning of December, the entire nation watched with shock as a Pakistan International Airlines ATR-42 crashed into the Gaggan Hills near Batolni village in Havelian killing all 47 people on board.
The incident claimed the life of singer turned evangelist Junaid Jamshed. There were several other notables as well on the flight including the Deputy Commissioner of Chitral Osama Ahmed Warriach and two members of his family. There were three foreigners aboard as well, including two Austrians and a Chinese. The second major incident in the region was in Othor Nala village in the Kandiya Tehsil of Kohistan. On the night of April 3, heavy land sliding triggered by rain and lightning buried six houses with at least 28 villagers, including women and children, trapped inside.
Rescue workers managed to recover three injured and two bodies but 23 others remained buried under the heavy mass of earth and stones. After several unsuccessful attempts, their relatives declared the site as a communal grave. A few days later on April 15, the rain exposed bodies of six other family members who were then dug out and buried. But 17 remain buried under the debris.
Health issues
The past year also saw viral diseases spread in the region.
Dengue, which came back with a vengeance in Islamabad, claimed three lives at the Ayub Teaching Hospital. Independent sources, though, put the death toll at around eight.
Between August 8 and September 28, when dengue season was at its peak, the ATH received 103 patients suspected to be suffering from dengue fever. Among these were 12 children, 26 women and 65 men.
Most of these cases were from Mansehra district where 57 cases were reported. Abbottabad was second with over 35 cases, Haripur reported five cases, Kohistan four and Battagram two cases
This, though, was far less than the 200 dengue positive cases at the ATH in 2015.
Congo virus though proved to quite deadly, claiming four lives during in August and September. The ATH received 16 suspected cases of Congo virus including four women. Mansehra again led with nine suspected cases, while Abbottabad reported four cases of CCHF and Haripur three cases.
Human Rights violations
According to data collected from Human Development Organization (HDO), a non- profit human rights entity working against custodial abuses and rehabilitation of victims of torture in K-P province, during the year ended , the six districts of Hazara witnessed gross human rights violations targeting women and children especially.
Data collected and validated from police, indicated that despite new legislation and awareness raised for protection of women and children from violence, these two communities remained the most vulnerable.
At least 43 women were reported to have been murdered, though seven survived murder attempts.
There were at least three cases of Vani to settle tribal disputes. During the year, at least 32 women were kidnapped.
Honour killing was still prevalent with around 14 women killed in the name of honour, including the harrowing case of a woman burnt for helping her friend elope in April.
Domestic violence was also rife with 16 women reported cases with at least two reported instances of a woman’s private body parts or nose chopped off by her husband. Two other women were stripped naked and their heads shaved off.
Rape and sodomy continued with at least 12 reported cases of women gang raped, five were raped. At least 22 cases of sodomy were reported while two minor girls were raped and three were gang raped. One case of child marriage was also reported.
The year saw a large number of suicides in the region with HDO’s data indicating that 52 men and 27 women reportedly committed suicides though three men and five women survived their attempts.
There were 73 reported cases of police excesses from Hazara with at least three cases of custodial deaths.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2017.
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