GILGIT: The residents of Ghizer district on Tuesday took to the streets against the decision to put some students and political activists of Gilgit-Baltistan on the Fourth Schedule.

About 200 activists from PPP, PTI and BNF gathered a Gahkuch Bazaar, holding placards, condemning the move. They said the provision was for the terrorists not the political activists.

The protesters marched from the bazaar to the DC Chowk, chanting slogans against the GB government.

The protesters alleged that the Fourth Schedule of Anti-Terrorism Act was being used to harass and intimidate rights activists, including students. They said dissenting voices in the region were being pushed to the wall.

On the occasion, PPP district president Nazir Ahmed Advocate said it was amazing that the Fourth Schedule was being applied to those who protested against water, electricity shortages.

Shafqat Ali Inqilabi, a political activist, said the government should explain why names of peaceful citizens had been put under ATC provision.

He said the authorities should explain the students put under the scanner belonged to which terrorist organisations and what sort of terrorist activity they were involved in.

The speakers said the authorities should take notice of the illegal and unconstitutional acts against peaceful citizens of the region. They said that enforcement of the Fourth Schedule in GB was violation of human rights.

They demanded that the Fourth Schedule list should be reviewed, otherwise they would devise a next course of action.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2018