Normalcy returned to Hunza after two days of riots that resulted in the death of two men, residents said on Saturday, amid reports that a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against a senioar police official at a local police station.
“It was a peaceful day … shops and businesses were open,” Akhtar Amin, a resident of Hunza, told The Express Tribune. He said that although the situation was getting better, people are still reeling from the effects of the incident that killed Sherullah Baig and his son Sher Afzal of Ainabad.
Hunza Valley, on Thursday, witnessed its worst violence in more than a decade when police opened fire on protestors demanding compensation for losses incurred due to a landslide lake in Attabad. Apart from the father and son who were killed, six others were injured in the firing which triggered more violence. A mob set a police station, DC house, and a rest house on fire soon after the incident.
Following region-wide demonstrations, the relatives of the deceased registered an FIR in Hunza police station against the deputy superintendent police (DSP) Babar and his guard who allegedly opened fire on the protesters.
According to sources, Speaker Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Wazir Baig, who is also a resident of Hunza, played a key role in easing the tensions in Hunza. An angry mob had demanded Baig’s resignation over the killings that have put a serious dent in Hunza’s reputation of being the most civilised and peaceful valley.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 14th, 2011.
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