GILGIT: The civil and military leadership of Gilgit-Baltistan has pledged to maintain peaceful environment in the region for successful completion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
Speaking at the concluding session of a two-day seminar titled ‘harmony, tolerance and our duties’ held in Karakoram International University (KIU) here the other day, they noted that according to global peace index GB ranked first among most peaceful cities of Pakistan.
On the occasion, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Hafeezur Rehman said 144 CCTV cameras had been installed in Gilgit city, adding 500 more CCTVs would be installed in the city to keep an eye on suspected persons.
He said suspected people had been included in the scheduled IV whose activities were being monitored. He recalled that Gilgit city was hit by sectarian incidents which claimed hundreds of lives during last seven years.
However, Mr Rehman claimed that peace had now been fully restored in the region as no single sectarian incident was reported since last one and a half year.
He said CPEC project would create economic opportunities for youth of GB, adding action would be taken against those who tried to create disturbance in the smooth sailing of the mega project. He said the KIU should lead from the front in making people aware about the importance of peace in the region.
On the occasion, Commander, Force Command Northern Areas (FCNA), Maj-Gen Syed Asim Munir said GB was on the verge of civil war two years ago, but said peace had fully been restored in GB following vision of Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif and implementation of the National Action Plan.
“Sectarianism has been curbed, political culture matured, and the law enforcement agencies have been successfully conducting operations against terrorists in Diamer district,” he explained.
“The GB high altitude police have been providing foolproof security to tourists at base camps of high peaks,” he said
The army officer said law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and local government collectively worked for restoration of peace.
Gen Munir appealed to youth to play their role for maintaining peace in their region. He said GB people were stakeholders of the CPEC, which would bring prosperity to them.
Speaking on the occasion, KIU Vice-Chancellor Dr Asif Khan said despite the GB being a diverse society it remained a peaceful place. “People of the region have collectively defeated foreign aggressions in the past.”
He said the varsity had been playing its due role in maintaining religious and sectarian harmony in GB.
The event was jointly organised by International Islamic University Islamabad, and KIU.
Former member of the Council of Islamic Ideology Prof Khalid Mahmud, Dean of Islamic Studies, University of Peshawar, Dr Meraj Islam, and others also spoke on the occasion.
BY-POLLS TODAY: Polling for the three times delayed by-election on the GBLA Hunza-6 constituency would be held today (Saturday).
Polling will start at 8am in the morning and continue till 4pm without any break. GB Election commission has set up 64 polling stations, where more than 36,000 voters will use their right of vote.
Seven candidates, including PML-N’s Mir Saleem Khan, Wazir Baig of PPP, PTI’s Aziz Jan, Awami Workers Party’s Akhun Bhai, and independents Ubaidullah Baig, Neknam Karim and Amen Sher, are in the run.
Contingents of Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts will assist the civil administration in ensuring security to allow for free, fair and transparent polling.
The seat had fallen vacant after PML-N leader Mir Gazanfar Ali Khan was made GB Governor.
Published in Dawn September 10th, 2016