Eyewitness account: The day hell broke loose in Gilgit

GILGIT: It was one of the most tragic days in the history of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B). A sense of uncertainty prevailed in Gilgit town as a bloody sectarian strife gripped the serene, tranquil mountainous region known for its awe-inspiring scenic beauty.

On Tuesday morning, the town resounded with gunshots. The firing continued with undulating frequency till 4pm. Two rival sects – Shias and Sunnis – fought street battles for seven hours. At least six people were killed and dozens wounded. As people scrambled to understand the situation, fear and panic quickly spread when the government failed to confirm or deny initial reports of violence.

Soon tension escalated and firing started in most neighbourhoods while the streets were rapidly deserted. Local residents holed up in their homes and looked for divine intervention as law-enforcers failed to tackle the situation.

You could hear the screams of women and children while men were seen running back and forth. Even the security forces seemed anxious, in some cases more terrified than the civilians themselves.

At 2pm, a woman was seen marching towards the barrage of bullets, ducking and flinching every now and then, saying she had to reach a nearby hospital to attend to the injured.

As sectarian violence increases in the region, the gulf between rival sects continues to widen, unchecked. The government’s lack of will and action to crack down on the sectarian menace has only acted as a multiplier effect for hate breeding in the region.

Despite the numerous checkpoints on the Karakoram Highway and a lack of alternate routes to Gilgit, the city has turned into an arms and ammunition dump, with locals equipped with heavy artillery often outdoing security forces when clashes erupt.

To further worsen the situation, the personnel of law enforcement agencies are seen as divided and only devoted to their own sects. Information on search operations and crackdowns is often leaked by officials who wish to save miscreants from their own sects.

While even top government officials, including the chief minister, have no answers as to why arms and ammunition continue to pour into Gilgit, risk of a prolonged battle between rival sects continues to haunt the city’s residents.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2012.