Eyewitness account: The day hell broke loose in Gilgit

The personnel of law enforcement agencies are seen as divided and only devoted to their own sects.


Shabbir Mir April 05, 2012

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 5th, 2012.

COMMENTS (13)

Akram Ullah | 11 years ago | Reply

Gilgit Baltistan has a history of sectarian conflict, which started in 1988 when Tablians from KPK backed by Army Govt of General Zia of that time invaded GB in the name Jahad and brutally massacred Hundred of peoples.This created a great chasm among the various sects dwelling the region. From then onward sectarian conflict engulfed the whole region. The situation further intensified with the influx of Talibans and extremist Pathans, who tried to brain wash the locals for Afghanistan and Kashmir jahad.The parochial minded and extremist people indulged in training and export of young boys to Afghanistan and Kashmir. After 11 September when Musharaf Regime joined hands with Occidental powers for "war against Terror" those young jahadis returned GB(and retained their affiliation with banned groups) and diverted their jahad from non Muslims to their brother Muslims. Still to date one can see flags of SSP, and other banned organization in various chowks in Gilgit Baltistan. In 2005 one of top religious cleric was killed in Gilgit, later Govt confirmed involvement of the banned group. Killing of innocent people in Kohistan and Chilas is a connection of this series.If Govt is serious to solve the sectarian conflict in GB, she has to start a mass crack down against the banned organization.

User | 11 years ago | Reply @Adam, your are right. Those who reacted against Shia brutailty are terrorits and if shia themselves do that, they are justified. weldone friend
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