KKH blocked at Sost to protest harassment
GILGIT/HUNZA, June 27: Hundreds of people including women and children staged a protest demonstration and blocked the Karakuram Highway at the Sost border town against what they called the coercive methods and highhandedness of Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Chief Executive Northern Area causing harassment to the people.
They blocked the Karakuram Highway, chanted slogans against Ghazanfar Ali Khan, District Council members Iman Shah and Raja Shehbaz Khan for “trying to create law and order situation in the peaceful region and damage the friendship between Pakistan and China.
Local community representatives said that while the chairman, and other Board members were in Kashghar to attend the joint Board of Directors meeting, the Chief Executive in collusion with the police and his cronies entered the Sost Dry Port premises forcibly after a local court vacated a stay against the former management which, however, did not envisage forcible occupation of the port in the absence of the present elected management.
Local community representatives said that the Ghazanfar group using their old tactics, thought it an opportune moment to seize the port offices while the present management was in China for important negotiations.
“The former director, Shehbaz, who is also member of District Council, came along with a group of youths and tried to run his jeep over the protesting women and children.
In the altercation with the people he was roughed up by the enraged people. According to Usman Younas, District Magistrate, Gilgit, Shehbaz was responsible for the incident as he used abusive language against the people and threatened them.
Mr Usman justified the heavy deployment of police and elite force in the area to protect Chinese nationals at the Sost Dry port and to avoid clash between the rival groups.
“The matter is subjudice but Ghazanfar wants possession of the port and this cannot be given till the court gives a final decision on the matter” he said.
Mr Usman said Ghazanfar Ali had left for China to attend the International Kashghar Trade Fair.
Meanwhile Pakistan Peoples Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar told Dawn in Islamabad that the Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas has taken serious notice of the situation and directed the Northern Areas administration not to use any force against the people and maintain peace.
SOURCE: http://www.dawn.com/2008/06/28/nat8.htm
The Silk Route Dry Port Trust (SRDPT), Sost issue/dispute between the previous & current management is seemingly becoming somehow similar to the Kashmir issue/dispute between India & Pakistan.
One of the key facets in Kashmir issue is the economic interests (natural resources besides the cultural contexts) between the previous Hindustan and the new Pakistan around which the politics isbeing played. So also holds true to the old and new managements of the SRDPT. The scale of economic interests varies, of course.
What could be the clear cut remedy now is a genuine question in hand?
1. Why Khan Sahab is misusring rather abusing his power and authority being the CE of the so-called NALA? Same quesiton also rises on both the immatured (nabaaligh) District councillors of Hunza (Shahbaz Khan & Iman Shah)?
2. If these immatured and unfuturistic reps can abuse their power and authorities, isn’t there any law/constitutions around which these rediculous reps (CE & DCs) coiuld be sacked or impeached?
3. Where are you people, the lawyers community of Hunza and the so-called Northern Areas? Why don’t you come up with legal stances and wars against such culprits who have kidnapped the entire commmunities in the region for their vicious interests?
4. Where to go for justice against such injustices? Still you the sensible peoples of the Northern Areas of Pakistan are not in sense or still you’ve got strong fears for your rights including the legal rights despite the fact that you’ve become literated?
For such injustices we are required to go to the courts? What about our courts in the region? Do they have any strong entity? If yes, why strong and just decision are not coming out? We cannot expect for such decisions till we the poeple ofthe region are not given our holistic rights?
If Kashmir has the Supreme Court, then why don’t we have have our own High Court and Supreme Court? OR why don’t we have the right to apeal to the Supreme court of Pakistan agains such cases?
This is a time for serious delibration. We need to come out for our holistic rights. Gather together for God sake. Until we haven’t got our legal entity in the country, we’ll not be able to cope with such culprits effectively. Before the law, ideally all are equal, but unfortunately the laws have been framed for all humans but operational only on the weak and poor community members. For the rich and influential poeples, laws are just a fun.
Come in ssnse Khan Sahab, Shahbaz and Iman Shah. The day has come you cannot escape, according to your own wrods, ill-wishes and miscreancies.
salam to all
we the people of gojal will i think only keep on writing articles but doing nothing .its enough we wrote alot ,we discussed alot. Now it is the time to just kick off the miscreants who are not only creating fuss in the area but also creating such situations which can disturb our generations as well.
do some thing or dont discuss any thing. because the capacity of discussion on this topic has ended now……………………….
AMJAD
SRDPT is seems like a battle of field between new managment and Mir’s group, people who suffer are the landowners, shareholder directily and the people of the area indirectly, this also effect the relationship between pakistan and china. I think the only solution of this issue is as follow:
(1) THE MANAGMENT OF THE SRDPT WILL RUN BY THE CHINEES SIDE FOR CERTAIN PERIOD OF YEAR,
(2) PAKISTANI MANAGMENT WILL NOT INTERFERE IN MANAGMENT AND IN DECISION MAKING,
(3) RENT ON MONTHLY BASIS WILL PAY TO THE LANDOWNERS.
(4)40% PROFIT AFTER ALL OPERATIING EXP WILL PAY TO THE SHARE HOLDERS OF PAKISTAN SIDE
(5) SUPERVISORS AND ALL LOWER STAFF WILL BE FROM PAKISTAN SIDE.
I think this is the only solution otherwise the issue will suffer all of us, and I dont think the courts will give any final dicesion, because we all know that in this case Hunza court given thie decision in favor of Mir group, Civil court then given the decision in favour of New managment and now session court again given the decision in favor of Mir’s group and now the New magangment will defenetly apply in Chief court, so the tug or war will never end.
Ali Asghar
Dear Readers,
It’s my humble appeal to all the populace of the Karakorum in general and Stakeholders in particular to answer the so called Mir family and hooligans in same way which they have chosen for their crucial providence.
Karakorum Students Organization (KSO)
Very unfortunate moments, regret and condemnable
The current action from the CE of NA seems to be quiet similar of that one which happened on the 12th of October 1999, if the CE can not resolve the issue of Sost dry port within the time frame of his tenure then how can we expect him better for other administrative, financial and legal issues and demands of NA.
CE should realize and understand the ground realities in the internal politics of our country after the elections of February 18, 2008. CE is not getting backup support from Federal Govt as it was prior to elections, the overall strategy should be based on reconciliation, tolerance and compromise, one must learn from the coalition government of PPP and PML-N as both of them fight each other for around 12 years but at the end both of them are coerce for joint sitting, during this 12 years of confrontation who suffered? Certainly the nation and national exchequer
If such kinds of actions are taken on repeatedly basis, CE would lose his popularity to a great extent and would be in a great trouble to appear in the next elections of NA, people of Hunza and Gojal are well aware of the ongoing tactics and politics of self interest.
Regards
Shah Zaman
One man with a gun can control 100 without one.