GILGIT: Flood-affected people from Jaglot blocked the Karakoram Highway on Thursday to stage a protest against the alleged misuse of rehabilitation funds.

According to the protesters, glacial lake outburst flooding caused a blockage of the Hunza River last year, which diverted the water towards residential areas. This caused damages to property, submerging eight homes, cultivated land, fish farms and shops.

They claimed that the Gilgit-Baltistan government promised to rehabilitate the affected areas that included channelisation of rivers, reconstruction of homes and construction of protective walls to make the area safe from disasters through a Rs13 million allocation. However, they said the promises were not fulfilled and the affected people were still living in tents.

The protesters, including women and children, also demanded a thorough investigation into the alleged mismanagement of Rs3 billion funds approved by the prime minister. They were joined by GB Assembly Opposition Leader Amjad Hussain Advocate, former opposition leader Muhammad Shafi and other local political leaders.

Due to the protest, tourists and travellers remained stranded for several hours. The Karakoram Highway is a national highway that extends from Punjab to the Khunjerab Pass in GB and ends on the border with China. This highway serves as a connection between Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, GB and China’s Xinjiang region.

KIU staff protest

On the other hand, employees at Karakoram International University (KIU) in Gilgit boycotted the classes and administrative operations to record their protest against the decision to pay half their salaries for the month of June. University Road was blocked by the protesters as they gathered for a sit-in at Globe Chowk.

They announced that the protest would continue until their demands are met in full. They expressed their grievances regarding the circular issued by the university administration, which stated that salaries were being cut due to a financial crisis.

The employees claimed that the university has been severely affected by the financial crisis lately which has led to the salary cuts for all staff members, adding that they have staged several protests before but HEC ignored their plight and did not provide any financial assistance.

The affected employees deman­ded immediate attention from t­he GB government and Higher Education Commission. They called on HEC to provide a special bailout package of Rs200 million, similar to the support extended to universities in other provinces.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2023