“The step has been taken to overcome target killings,” Ali Sher, a senior police official told The Express Tribune.
“This is understandably a reaction to the Naran bus killings,” he said of the violence that left three people dead and two others seriously wounded in different incidents of target killings in Gilgit on Tuesday. The recent incidents came four days after 19 passengers, mostly Shias, were shot dead by terrorists at point blank range in the Mansehra district.
Authorities denied it was an undeclared curfew, however the restrictions were similar to those imposed during one. People were not allowed to come out of their homes, markets were closed and travelling on vehicles banned as police and other law enforcement agencies kept patrolling the deserted roads of the city.
On Tuesday, two traders Abdul Haleem and Mirza, were killed near Sakwar area after gunmen opened fire on them. The deceased belonged to Swat and were running a business in Gilgit.
Sher said that suspects had been arrested in connection with the killing of traders.
In the second incident, unidentified armed men opened fire on Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel deputed outside the deputy commissioner office at Khomer, killing one Manzoor on the spot while seriously injuring another man identified as Shujaat.
On Wednesday morning, authorities made repeated announcements through loudspeakers, asking people not to open shops and remain indoors, leaving the roads deserted.
An official at the Chief Minister Secretariat said that people in need of any sort of help would be facilitated by the authorities. About the duration of the undeclared curfew, he said that it would be decided during a law and order meeting likely to be held at night.
Earlier on Friday last, two truck drivers from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were killed in Nagar valley and two others were injured in separate incidents.
COMMENTS (17)
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@akbar: You are absoloutely wrong my brother. Khomeini did not start anything new and shias do not say anything bad about companions or wives of prohet (PBUH). They only think that prophet himself and Allah was not happy with one of the wives, for whom the whole Sura-e-tehreem is there in quran. The name is not given. Please read and enlighten yourself. Similarly they say bad about those companions for whom quran has called them munafiqeen at different places. Please read and prove me wrong. Shias have a lot of respect for each and every companion and wife except those mentioned above. If Khomeini was responsible for the hatred, the sunnis would have been driven out from Iran by now (and there is a big number of sunnis in Iran). You never hear any astrocities committed by Iranian government against any of the minorities including even Jews who live there. In contrast the shias in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern states under it's influence like Bahrain are treated as second class citizens and there have been casualities recently when they tried to protest agaist the state astrocities. You are absoloutely right all the terrorist groups that are against shias are funded by Saudi Arabia.
@akbar My o my! Go and get a life man. What a serious strategic asset you will make. By the way, where did you get the hang of all these "historical factoids" about Zia's plannings to save the country from the onslaught of "shia terrorists" from? Untill now, all the idiot nation was under the impression that Zia created the jihadis for the "afghan cause". We never saw the daylight until you came along to enlighten us with your historical proofs. Thank you very much.
@Zeeshan: @Abdul Moiz: Pls dont include the terrorist organisations into the silent majority of this country's largest sect just because these rogues call themselves Ahle Sunnat. They are enemies of not only Shias and other minorities but also of the other sects. I am not ready to be included in them. They are not human.
@Mohammad: Although, i hate zia ul haq for his wrong doings but the fact remains that this fitna was not the ceation of zia rather it was created by Khomeini after exporting his brand of Islam to pakistan through his literatures,weaponization of one community and fundings .Lashkar e Jhangvi was in retaliation when large quantity of literature against the companians of Prophet and his wives were circulated .
All this mess started when Khomeini started exporting his brand of islam of abusing companians of the Prophet and his wives, to pakistan via Parachinar and Jhang.To counter that Zia ul haq sponsored all kind of Lashkars which got further fat through Saudi petro dollars.Overhere you will see all kind attacks on Lashkers and mullahs but will not see a word about SIPAHE MUHAMMAD which is being sponsored by every single shia or any other shia khomeini, mosvi,taq naqi etc.Nor would one listen about sipah e muhammad since 99% of writers and speakers over the media are either naqi,taqi ,zaidi ,rizvi or hassan ,hussain , ali and abbas.
Great Going...
@Zeeshan: @Abdul Moiz: Bros look at the scale of terrorist incidents targeting shias. They are not more than 20 25 % of this country but check the numbers of there victims . Victims which led a patriotic tax paying peace loving Pakistani they are targeted because they are shias that doesn't happen with the largest sect. Do you have security and body search when you go for your daily prayers , shias of Pakistan have to face it. That also doesnt happen with largest sect, If you take a close look you'll find all Reactionary attacks are targeting largest sect people that are working directly or indirectly against shias . Lastly , why dont you see kaafir kaafir sunni kaafir on the walls why it always the other way around. Its because shias have difference with sunnis but they do not preach hate as certain pockets of the largest sect do so. So please differentiate between action and reaction .
As usual in our country we just become blind quickly when sectarian violence erupts. We start to compare which sect killed how many people and why and try to find a reason. We don't call it bad, inhuman and unislamic whoever killed , which ever sect for whatever reason. Actually our hearts are blind and much darker with ignorance much higher than pre-islamic era.
As being from Gilgit my understanding is that.
a) Within disguise there are people who are neither Muslim nor Pakistani, within both sects who are fanning this violence on the name religion and other ethnicity
b) This nexus of evil is beyond the understanding of common people of GB, as usual throughout the country. Because everyone want to live in peace
c) We do trust an AMERICAN , but could not trust a Muslim brother of different sect. Moral : Ignorance spreaded by our beloved mullahs
d) There is foreign hand yes without any doubt.
e) Enemies of Pakistan do not want see peace on KKH and surrounding places
f) We are helping our enemies by killing our on Muslim brothers
peace for all that is Islam
@Abdul Moiz: Foolish can't you differentiate between action and reaction????? In fact, as a last resort, if the shias start killing five terrorists for each and every murder done by TTP and Lashkar-e-jhangvi (both parties always themselves proudly take the responsibility after killing shias), things will get better quickly. That will also be a "reaction". The government and elements in ISI and army are supporters of these banned organizations and will never be able to control the blood shed. This is no more a hidden fact. PMLN's senior leaders have been meeting Lashkar-e-Jhangvi's terrorists. The same terrorist groups are behind Ahmadi killings. Do not equate "sunnis" with TTP, LeJ, or ASWJ. The non wahabi/non salafi sunnis should know that these terrorists are busy at this time wiping out Ahmadis and shias. Once they are done with that, it will be your turn. There have been sporadic clashed in Karachi between these groups about "masjid qabza". Is this not a fact?????
@Abdul Moiz. Double Standards?????? A muslim is a muslim. Killed for what??? Different interpretations???? We are all brothers. This land was created for US!!!!!! Is this what the founding FATHERS wanted????? We would of been better of in India.
@Abdul Moiz: Yes,there is a definite bias in the media against the largest sect in the country.The twitterati,bloggers,social media activists immediately start hashtags of genocide when one sect's members are killed but everyone remained deadly silent last Friday night when 10 sunnis were gunned down in karachi,not one peep out of anyone on twitter.All the sympathies are reserved for one sect in pakistan and the media's prejudice against the largest sect continues.
So when sunnis are targetted and killed ,the authorities state them as 'understandable reaction' ,but when other sect's ppl are killed,it's all 'genocide' and ' killings'.whey these double standards by the Authorities in Gilgit?
Karachi needs curfew. More people die there every day than in provinces across the country.
Just shut down the entire country, there's a security threat everywhere : )
The tree of sectarian violence ziaulhaq planted will never end untill isi stops considering the militants as its strategic asset ! do you remember , "good taliban" "bad taliban" ? shia sunni deobandi barailvi , kia zamane me panapne ki yehi batayn hen ? kia bnayga pakistan ka ?