Protests erupt across PoGB as police, lawyers, and locals voice grievances

Gilgit [PoGB], August 14 : Numerous protests were held in various areas of the Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) region on Wednesday, the Dawn reported.

The sit-in conducted by the PoGB police outside the Chief Minister's House has now reached its third day. The police are demonstrating to urge the authorities to raise their allowance in line with the budget for 2025-26. Officers from other districts, including those assigned to protect Chinese nationals in Chilas, also joined the sit-in in Gilgit.

While the daily allowance for PoGB police was raised from PKR 440 to PKR 880 in the budget, a notification has yet to be issued. The protesting officers claim they have been fighting for their rights for months, noting that a protest outside the Chief Minister's Secretariat was previously called off two weeks ago after the government guaranteed that their concerns would be addressed within 14 days, according to the Dawn report.

On Monday, PoGB police initiated departmental proceedings against personnel accused of "misconduct".

An official order states that 63 officials are being dismissed from service in the initial phase. These actions were reportedly decided during a disciplinary committee meeting.

At the same time, various legal associations in PoGB organised a protest and boycotted court proceedings in Gilgit, Skardu, Ghizer, and several other districts. Lawyers have been advocating for their rights for the past ten months.

A joint meeting involving the Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Council, the Supreme Court Bar Association GB, the High Court Bar Association GB, and the District Bar Association Gilgit was held, according to a statement by Dawn.

The meeting reached a unanimous agreement that PoGB lawyers would stage a strike and refrain from appearing in any courts across the region until their demands are addressed. One significant demand from the lawyers is the appointment of judges to the vacant seats in the GB Supreme Appellate Court.

The meeting expressed dissatisfaction with the government's inability to fulfil the lawyers' demands following multiple strikes and protests. The lawyers referred to the lack of action as "a conspiracy against the people of PoGB", as reported by Dawn.

Another key demand from the lawyers involves extending the Lawyers Protection Act to PoGB by the federal government, which they argue is crucial for safeguarding their safety and professional rights.

The lawyers requested the advertisement of available civil judge positions and insisted that judicial magistrate roles be distinct from civil judge roles, consistent with practices in other regions of the country, with appointments being made from the legal profession based on merit, as highlighted by the Dawn report.

Lawyers have pointed out that the PoGB Supreme Appellate Court has been functioning with just one judge for the past seven years. According to regulations, a single judge cannot handle all cases, leading to thousands of essential cases remaining unresolved.

In addition, protests regarding power shortages took place in Sikandarabad and Nagar, where demonstrators obstructed the Diamer section of the KKH. Similar demonstrations were also organised in Nagar Khas and other regions, as cited by the Dawn report.

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