Daily Times

The home department of Gilgit-Baltistan issued a statement on Sunday to assert that the “situation in G-B is completely peaceful” terming media reports pertaining to the deployment of the Pakistan Army as “completely baseless”.

Interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi took to X, formerly Twitter, Sunday to clarify that “news and speculations circulating in media regarding the deployment of Pakistan Army are completely baseless”. “All roads, trade centers, business activities and educational institutions in G-B are open as usual. The services of Pakistan Army and Civil Armed Forces have been requisitioned only to maintain law and order on the eve of Chehlam of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA),” he said. The interim minister said “special measures have been taken for the security of procession routes and Imambargahs as per past practice”. Referring to the provincial department’s statement, he said that “Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 has been imposed across the region to maintain law and order, protect lives and property of the people and avoid any untoward incident”.

The GB government had decided to call in the army to quell escalating unrest in the region on the Parliamentary Peace Committee’s – which decides law and order matters – decision on Friday, according to earlier reports.

The day after, state media APP, reported that the GB home department had denied such reports as “baseless” and that the situation in the region was “completely peaceful”.

Media reports had earlier stated that the GB government had imposed Section 144 in Diamer’s Chilas, a ban on the display of weapons, aerial firing, religious gatherings and any attempts to obstruct highways as a form of protest. It had also reportedly decided to deploy Rangers, GB Scouts and Frontier Corps personnel in major cities across the region. It was said that 4G broadband services in the area were temporarily suspended in response to the unrest, with only 2G services remaining operational. The decision came in the wake of the recent unrest triggered by protests in Chilas, where protesters blocked the Karakoram Highway and Babusar Pass for three days, demanding the arrest of a religious leader from Skardu for his alleged controversial remarks.

As per earlier reports, protests were also staged in Astore and Gilgit but came to an end following the registration of an FIR against the religious leader. In reaction to these events, a market and transport strike was observed in Skardu, with protesters obstructing major thoroughfares, including the Juglot-Skardu Road.