17 arrested, arms recovered in Hunza

Police says most of the arrested belong to nationalist groups.

GILGIT:

Police raided houses in Hunza and rounded up at least 17 men allegedly involved in last week’s riots which followed the killing of a man and his son.

The arrested rioters had ransacked the Aliabad police station, snatching arms and ammunition before torching it in a destructive episode, uncharacteristic of the generally peaceful Hunza Valley.

“The detainees carried out predawn raids on various localities in Hunza valley,” police said, adding that most of those arrested belonged to nationalist groups. As calm returned to Hunza, authorities held negotiations with local elders to ensure the full recovery of looted ammunition. “I think about 50 per cent has been recovered so far,” a police official told The Express Tribune.

Forty-eight guns were stolen during the riots, including medium and light guns. However, according to sources, the government has so far been able to recover only 28 guns from the arrested men.

Similarly, sources said the stolen ammunition consisted of 2,200 rounds of which only 64 rounds have been recovered.  The death of a man and his son were the result of an earlier clash between the police and protestors, demanding compensation for the losses inflicted in the Attabad Lake disaster. According to estimates, the chaos caused Rs200 million worth of damage.





Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2011.