VoH
One tragedy after the another but in a different forms both man made and natural one has took the comparatively back ward mountain region of Gilgit-Baltistan into its tyrant claws for more than last two decades. One of them more or less can be traced into current incidents where a man inspirited by his religious beliefs on extreme try to conquer rest of the people through coercion and black mailing is posing human lives to the risk in the area where influence of community is considerably strong. Following huge devastation both in terms of human lives and property losses, now Gilgit, the capital city is struck by miscreants for more than a week. The suspension of land link through Karakorum High way in the wake of torrential rains that washed away bridges in down stream right to Bisham, Thakot and Shattial inflicted fury and served to strengthen financial burden on the backward region. People were in confusion as in case of food crisis and impending starvation the whole population was at stake. Suddenly, an additional dilemma emerged from the ground that compelled every one to think over our inability to learn lesson from the curse God almighty has inflicted for our internal disharmony, injustices, wickedness, lack of tolerance and patience, no respect for humanity, absence of sense of accountability before Lord and support right against wrong. Peace destroyers have embark upon a quest to harm the developing unity among different school of thoughts and hidden hands seems in action with little consideration of country’s law leading poor masses to bewilderment. Despite of expression of concerns from intelligentsia and different social and political circles of mushrooming of prejudices and favoritism on sectarian lines, both political and civil administration took the case with ease. Gradually, certain religious lobbies, both at Global, national and regional level started to bolster agendas to impose their doctrines using coercion. Now the giant came out of bottle which seems beyond control of law enforcement agencies, virtually evident from successive incidents ranging from burning of houses to assassinations at different localities of the city, commercial hub of the region. Local after failure to control the menace, civil administration after a high level meeting with political administration has called army and rangers to impose curfew, bring the social life to grinding halt. According to media reports, door to door search operation is underway and shoot to kill at sight orders were issued by authorities to reduce the enlarging gap between both parties. Culprits have reportedly set many houses on blaze and there were no confirmations that how much human and property loss has occurred during the last three days violence. Sectarianism is not a phenomenon , rather an old wine that continued to appear at different intervals from the Zia’s sponsored first ever clashes in late eighties, a year before withdrawal of USSR from Afghanistan in quest to persecute those against a certain religious doctrine especially Shiates on one hand and to show teeth to China, a socialist parallel emerging power against US. Though, the Zia’s armed campaign ended with failure, yet it succeeded to bow the seeds of disharmony, distrust, abhorrence, extremism and lack of tolerance among different sects in the region. Gilgit-Baltistan is now more susceptible by even a small incident and in a situation where people still are disconnected to down cities, the main supply line from essentials to general items can not afford another menace in terms of to sectarian unrest.A conscious citizen of this lawless land my think for a while that despite of presence of dozens of law enforcement and intellectual agencies how culprits get succeed to inflict harm to the regional peace? Those in higher ranks of these agencies may give relevant answer. Yet, generally, much more is said in the bottom and every one know what are those. One of the main reasons of nourishment of such an anti social tendencies is that those involved in such nefarious activities were never punished in anti terror courts. Actual culprits found a safe heaven to play their dirty game as their supporters help them to make a subterfuge easily. The intensity of abhorrence among one faith against another strengthened every year as flames of sectarian rift in the beautiful valleys of the region have gone unnoticed. In sum, security of life, irrespective of his or her caste, creed, ideology, religious thought and ethnicity is should be the top priority of the government or in simple of law enforcement agencies. We hope, this time authorities would chalk out a grand strategy to undertake an operation clean up campaign to get the people of the region of the menace of sectarian extremism.
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