PYF and GBHRAN hold press conference in Islamabad to highlight Hunza – Gojal situation

Press Release

Islamabad, February 10: A press conference was conducted by members of Gilgit Baltistan Human Rights Advocacy Network And Progressive Youth Front regarding the calamitous landslide in Hunza that has blocked the Hunza River creating a lake leading to isolation of 25000 people of gojal valley from rest of the world.

The leader of Pyf Baba jan, Sami Barcha and Nazim Ullah Baig and members of GB Human Rights Advocacy Network Hafeez and Najeeb Ullah Naveed, editor of Pamir Times, said that the measures taken by the government for the affectees of the calamity were not enough.

They demanded of the government to take immediate measures to discharge water from the lake, which has posed to submerge parts of Ayeenabad, Shishkat, Gulmit, Hussaini and Passu. The lake is also posing threat for the people living downstream along the Hunza river.

The government should take immediate measure to rehabilitate the inhabitants of Attabad and sarrt who have lost all their property and to pay compensations to the people of Ayeenabad, and Shishkat whose lands and houses have submerged in the lake due to the calamity, the speakers demanded.

They further demanded that the Helicopter service or any other form of transport, like motorboats, should be briskly utilized to take relief goods to Gojal valley, and to patients to lower parts of the country from Gojal.

Relief goods should also be brought from the neighboring country, China, to eradicate the shortage of essential item food, medicine and petrol in Hunza and Gojal valley, the speakers suggested.

The speakers also asked the government to conduct Geological surveys in all parts of Gilgit Baltistan so that effective preemptive measures could be taken to avoid such disasters in the future.