In a recent development, six individuals have been apprehended in connection to the heinous attack on a Rawalpindi-bound passenger bus in the Chilas area of Pak-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district. The incident claimed the lives of at least nine people and left 21 passengers injured after assailants fired upon the bus from nearby hills on Saturday, leading to a collision with a goods truck.
Transport services from Rawalpindi to Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (POGB) districts have been suspended as a precautionary measure, with transporters demanding comprehensive security arrangements for both vehicles and passengers.
The occupying government officials emphasize that this was not a sectarian attack but rather a terrorist act targeting individuals from diverse backgrounds. Home Minister of the occupying government Shams Lone highlighted the rejection of such violence by the people of Diamer and assured stringent actions against the perpetrators.
Accordingly, the traffic has been on the Karakoram Highway (KKH). However, convoys of vehicles, escorted by occupying forces, have been permitted to pass through Diamer during the day.
Meanwhile protests have erupted in various areas, prompting security alerts and a temporary suspension of travel along the KKH. Transport associations have demanded enhanced security for vehicles on this route, emphasizing the occurrence of similar incidents in the past. Local Kashmiris are demanding an investigation and justice for the people who lost their life to this tragic incident.
Nonetheless, some people also say that the bus attack was aimed at weakening and destroying the recent wheat subsidy movement and the public unity of POGB.