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GILGIT, April 17: The authorities have sealed two mosques in the city and asked their administrations to change their prayer leaders or give assurances in writing that their mosques would not be used to spread hatred.
Central Imamia Mosque and the main mosque of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat were sealed by magistrates after receiving directives from the high-ups.
Official sources said the move was part of steps aimed at restoring peace in the region. More measures would be taken soon to eliminate anti-peace elements, they said.
The daytime curfew was lifted in Gilgit as life began to return to normality.
People queued up outsides banks to draw cash to buy essential commodities.
Attendance in offices and schools was thin. Traffic remained suspended on the Karakoram Highway, while the PIA resumed its service and operated a flight between Islamabad and Gilgit.
Business activities resumed in markets and in commercial centres. People, who had left the city when violence erupted, started returning to Gilgit.
Law-enforcement agencies have set up special pickets at entry points and monitoring the movement of vehicles and individuals. They also searched vehicles for weapons.
The truckers stopped transportation of goods to Gilgit-Baltistan and demanded of the government and people to give surety that their drivers and vehicles would not be targeted.
Meanwhile, a spokesman of the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly said that the assembly session was cancelled because of curfew and a new date would be announced soon.
