Skardu | Pakistan

FUNERALS of several victims were held at the Markazi Imamia Masjid in Gilgit.—Photo by the writer • Prayers offered at Markazi Imamia Jamia Masjid Skardu and Central Imamia Masjid Gilgit • Three-day curfew imposed in both districts amid deteriorating law and order situation GILGIT: Funeral prayers for 13 people who were killed during protests after the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were held in Skardu and Gilgit as authorities imposed a three-day curfew in both cities starting Monday to manage the prevailing law and order situation. A total of 13 people, including one security official, were killed during clashes on Sunday. Six people lost their lives in Skardu, while seven were killed in Gilgit. According to official and hospital sources, a young man who had sustained injuries during the protests in Gilgit succumbed to his wounds, raising the death toll to 13. More than 100 people were reported injured. Funeral prayers for five of the deceased were offered at the Ma­­rkazi I...

Tremors were felt in Gilgit, Skardu, Astore, and surrounding areas on Sunday, prompting residents to rush out of their homes in alarm.

Guan Jing GILGIT: The body of Chinese mountaineer Guan Jing, who died on Aug 12 after being hit by falling rocks while descending from the K2 peak, has been recovered and brought to the mortuary in Skardu. The incident occurred on the Abruzzi Spur route between Camp-I and the Advanced Base Camp — a section notorious for frequent rockfalls. Guan had successfully reached the summit on Aug 11 with a group of climbers before beginning her descent. According to Karrar Haidri, senior vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the Chinese climber died of a head injury caused by falling rocks. The evacuation was carried out by Army Aviation, which transported the body by helicopter from Concordia. Earlier, a team of mountaineers had attempted the recovery on foot after poor weather had grounded helicopter operations. Guan Jing died on Aug 12, a day after summiting K2 with her group in Gilgit-Baltistan. Her body was later found 100-150 metres above the Advanced Base Camp, at an altitude of around 5,400 metres. At ...

A search operation for a missing body continued for a second day after a couple from Karachi drowned in a boat capsize accident in Skardu, officials said on Wednesday. Skardu is a popular tourist destination for local and international visitors. However, accidents are quite common due to the difficult terrain and lack of modern infrastructure. A statement by Rescue 1122 said, “Two people went missing in a tragic boat capsizing incident in the beautiful Kachora area of Skardu. Rescue 1122 divers and rescue personnel of Skardu have recovered the body of a woman after taking immediate action, while the search for the other missing person is still ongoing. The search and rescue operation was ongoing under the supervision of Emergency Officer Islamuddin, it added. Baltistan Police Public Relations Officer Ghulam Muhammad told Dawn.com that a family from Karachi, who were visiting the Kachura Soq Valley in Skardu, had been rafting on a river when the raft capsized at 4pm on Tuesday. “Three operators and a 15-year-o...

A powerful flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in the Khandus area of Skardu has caused widespread devastation, destroying homes, infrastructure, and leaving several people — including tourists — stranded across the region.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has resumed direct flights from Dubai to Skardu, with the first flight taking off today, marking a significant development in promoting tourism to Pakistan’s northern regions.

Four tourists from Gujrat who went missing in Gilgit-Baltistan on May 16 were finally located on Saturday morning at the bank of Indus River near Istak village in Skardu’s Roundu valley. Family sources said Wasif Shahzad, 36, and Umar Ehsan, 20, both cousins from Kot Gakka near Mangowal; Salman Nasrullah Sandhu, 23, of Jassoki village; and Usman Dar, 23, of Saroki had arrived in Gilgit on May 13. Gilgit range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Raja Mirza Hassan said that according to police records, the four friends had started their travel from Hunza to Skardu on May 15. On the way they had stayed in a hotel near Karakoram at Danyor in Gilgit. The four friends had resumed their journey to Skardu on May 16 and since then their mobile phones could not be reached. Skardu Deputy Commissioner Arif Ahmad today confirmed that the location of the missing tourists’ vehicle has been traced near Satak Nala. The vehicle had fallen into a deep gorge on the bank of the river below the Baltistan Highway after an accident. Resc...

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has cancelled six round-trip flights between Islamabad and the northern cities of Gilgit and Skardu, according to ARY News.