Youm-e-Shuhada in G-B: CM condemns army’s media trial

Pays tributes to army for defending the country.

GILGIT:

Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Chief Minister Mehdi Shah on Wednesday condemned Geo TV for running a vicious media campaign against the armed forces and said money is the only thing that the owner of the channel holds dear.

“Take them to Siachen glacier some day and they will realise what sacrifice is all about,” Mehdi Shah said referring to the owners of Geo TV. He was addressing a ceremony to pay tribute to the soldiers who had sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.

The ‘Shuhada Tribute Ceremony’ was held in FCNA Auditorium and was attended by force commander G-B Major Gen Hafiz Masroor Ahmed, relatives of the martyrs, and senior military and civil officers besides elected representatives of the G-B assembly.

“Tell me what the motive behind these allegations against the army could be. Money is important for them and they may sell out the country for it,” said the CM, who was flown in from Skardu in a military chopper to attend the event.



Shah went on to say that the representatives of Geo TV in the G-B were needed to be kept under vigil.

Referring to the speeches made earlier by the widows and sisters of the martyrs, he said the tears in the eyes of brave [sisters] saddened him.

“People maligning the army can’t even pay the prices of a single tear, let alone the sacrifice of the lives. Those people live in luxurious farm houses,” he said, adding that it was really challenging to fight traitors within.

The CM paid rich tributes to the army for defending the country from internal and external threats and assured support of the G-B people.

In his speech, Major Gen Hafiz Masroor Ahmed thanked the CM for his brave stance and ‘saying the truth’.  He said the army attached immense importance to the G-B, which, he said, had suffered a lot due to sectarian strife in the past.

“The army is fully prepared to defend every inch of its territory,” he said as he urged people to live peacefully, if they wanted to see their area develop.

Earlier, students from Army public school and Hayat Shaheed public school presented shows and Mili-Nagmas, stirring emotions in the auditorium that was filled to capacity.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2014.