Curfew relaxed in Gilgit for 3 hours on 8th Day of Curfew

Authorities relaxed a curfew in the violence-hit Gilgit town on Tuesday to allow residents to replenish food and medical supplies on the eight consecutive day of curfew.
Army troops were called out and a curfew was imposed last Tuesday after violence surfaced in Gilgit in the rally of Wahabi terrorists of Sipah-e-Sahaba left 18 Shiite Muslims martyred in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.
Residents were allowed to buy food and medical supplies between 2pm and 5pm. They flocked to local markets to make good use of the relaxation in curfew.
However, communication networks could not be restored – and few motorists and truckers ventured out on the Karakoram Highway, the strategically important route which is the lifeline for local economy.
Since supplies from outside have dried up, food and medical stocks in seven districts of G-B are dwindling rapidly.
After 5pm, the curfew was re-imposed and residents were asked to return to their homes as security forces started patrolling roads and streets amidst a tense calm.
In the meantime, security forces have raided suspected houses in the Basin neighbourhood of the town and detained a dozen men for their suspected involvement in stoking sectarian unrest. They were later shifted to an unknown location for questioning.
Nagir Valley captives
Though Gilgit-Baltistan has a long history of sectarian unrest – the fresh trouble started on Tuesday when Wahabi terrorists organized a rally in Gilgit city against the arrest of terrorists of Wahabi, the masked men attacked a Wahabi’s rally with a hand grenade in the Shia-dominated Gilgit town, killing six people and injuring dozens more.
Reprisals came from the Wahabi-dominated Chilas town, where passenger buses were attacked and then put on fire. At least 18 Shia people were martyred and near about 70 passengers are still missing in the Wahabi’s attacks including children and women.
In a tit-for-tat, 31 persons, mainly Sunni day labourers from outside G-B, were held hostage in Nagar Valley, Police claims.
Authorities have been unable to secure their release despite several rounds of talks with the elders of the Shia community.