The Shia-dominated Kargil border town in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday observed a complete bandh in protest against the recent sectarian violence in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan.
Responding to a bandh call by the Anjuman-e-Jamiyatul Ulima Asna Ashriya (Islamia School Kargil) to express solidarity with the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, all shops and business establishments remained closed and vehicles kept off the roads.
People from many villages in Kargil district assembled at Islamia School Kargil, carrying black flags and placards and chanting slogans against the killings in the region.
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On April 3, at least 14 people were killed and over 50 others injured after violence erupted between Shia and Sunni groups in Gilgit city, the capital of the region.
Protesters in Kargil took out a march and raised slogans against the Pakistan government. Naib Imam Jumma of Islamia School Kargil, Hujattul Islam Sheikh Hussain Mukaddas, appealed to the Indian government to intervene and help stop the killings in the region.
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Meanwhile, the Army, paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies reviewed the security in the State at a meeting here, ahead of the onset of summer, when infiltration of militants increases because of the opening of natural passes. The General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, Lt. Gen. S.A. Hasnain, co-chaired the core group meeting with Director-General of Police Kuldeep Khoda at the Badami Bagh Cantonment, a defence spokesman said.