Eight killed in Gilgit clash, curfew imposed

GILGIT: Army was called out and curfew imposed in Gilgit town on Thursday after Rangers and Shia students clashed, leaving eight persons including two Rangers dead and 13 others injured.

A female student of first year was also among the dead. The clash took place when Rangers resorted to baton-charge and aerial firing to disperse students, who had taken out a procession for early release of their detained colleagues.

Among those killed were two Rangers, former chairman municipal committee Gilgit Saleem Raza and a student, Haider Abbas. As many as 13 people including four women were injured and shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Gilgit. The administration called out Army and imposed curfew.

Re: Eight killed in Gilgit clash, curfew imposed

who are rangers? the guards?

Re: Eight killed in Gilgit clash, curfew imposed

Rangers are a part of the army aren't they? Still, this is so sad to hear at a time like this :(

Re: Eight killed in Gilgit clash, curfew imposed

Rangers is a different organization, I think they patrol the borders. So are these rangers part of the "matoos" who kill Shias too?

Re: Eight killed in Gilgit clash, curfew imposed

why is this in World Affairs?

Re: Eight killed in Gilgit clash, curfew imposed

Rangers are not part of the army. They are paramilitary forces under the command on the Interior Ministry.

The Army are the responsibility of a completely different ministry, the Ministry of Defence.

Re: Eight killed in Gilgit clash, curfew imposed

Death toll in Gilgit violence soars to 12
http://www.dawn.com/2005/10/15/top12.htm
GILGIT, Oct 14: The death toll in Thursday’s violence in Gilgit rose to 12 after six more bodies, including that of a woman, were found in different areas of the city on Friday.

Official sources said the deaths had occurred in firing between security forces and angry mobs.

At least two personnel of the Rangers were among the dead and five others had been admitted to the Combined Military Hospital Gilgit for serious wounds.

The deceased were identified as Muhabat Ali and Hameed (both Rangers personnel), former municipal committee chairman Saleem Raza, Fida Hussain, Waheed Hussain, Hayder Abbas, Mohammad Hussain, Mohammad Yunus, Qadir Shah, Tahreen Batool, Haseena and Saima.

The sources said that there would be no break in curfew for three more days.

At around 1:30pm security forces asked residents through loudspeakers to remain indoors. They warned that those found violating the curfew would be shot at sight.

“We don’t know what’s happening outside. We are confined to our homes,” a frightened resident Jamshed Alam told this correspondent by telephone.

Residents said the power supply to some localities was cut off for the past two days while the situation of food and fuel supply was also bad.

Thousands of passengers and commuters stranded in hotels and guest houses could not be evacuated owing to curfew and firing which continued intermittently in different parts of the city.

Some residents told this correspondent they were without food and fuel for the past 48 hours.

Hundreds of schoolchildren and women belonging to Shia community blocked the Karakoram Highway to protest against the killing of seven persons on Thursday.

Re: Eight killed in Gilgit clash, curfew imposed

Pakistan makes security arrests
GILGIT, , Pakistan, Oct. 18 (UPI) – As religious fundamentalist tensions rise in northwestern Pakistan, security agencies have arrested eight religious leaders in Gilgit and shifted them to Rawalpindi.

Dawn, Pakistan’s most widely-circulated English language newspaper, reported that the detainees include Shiia leader Agha Rahat Al-Husaini, Shaikh Mirza Ali, Shaikh Nayyar Abbas, former Northern Areas Legislative Council member Deedar Ali, Sunni leader Maulana Qazi Nisar, Maulana Hussain Ahmad, Maulana Khalil Ahmed and NALC member Himayatullah Khan.

The detainees were to have been transferred to Adiyala jail, but after reaching Rawalpindi they were temporarily housed in Jaglote, 30 miles south of Gilgit.

The Northern Areas home department said that for the last year and a half the situation in the region, especially in Gilgit, has worsened primarily because of the uncompromising positions of both Shiia and Sunni ulema, Muslim scholars trained in Islamic law.

The local administration has attempted to reconcile the two sides by convening a Jirga council, but was unsuccessful. The worsening situation prompted the authorities to act against the ulema after they declared jihad (holy war) and attempted to incite people against the state, using mosques to spread their confrontational message among the people.

The administration moved against the agitators under provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act and took the eight clergy from both sects into custody.