Ghulam Sawar to be awarded for saving lives during Gilgit sectarian clases

ISLAMABAD (Staff Report) - Ghulam Sarwar, a resident of Gilgit city, will be awarded with Tamgha-e-Shuja'at for his brave act of protecting a number of people during the 2005 sectarian clashes in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Sectarian violence rocked Gilgit-Baltistan with the assassination of Syed Agha Ziauddin Rizvi, a prominent Shia and prayer leader of Gilgit’s Imamia Mosque, in January 2005. On January 13, he succumbed to injuries sustained during an attack in Gilgit on January 8, 2005. One of the assailants killed by his bodyguards was later identified as a cadre of a banned outfit.

The assassination attempt was followed by a violent reaction by Shias. More than a dozen people were killed and an unspecified number injured, before troops were deployed to restore law and order and impose curfew in the area.

The area continued to simmer for weeks after the assassination and a curfew remained in place for one month in Gilgit and Skardu. Nevertheless, these harsh measures failed to restore normalcy in the region.

Sheltering the people from the opposite sect at that point was a dangerous and brave act. But Ghulam Sarwar saved many innocent lives during the clashes.

The government of Pakistan has acknowledged his bravery and he has been nominated to receive Tamgha-e-Shuja'at on 23rd March 2016, official sources told Daily Paksitan.