GILGIT, Sept 13: The Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution demanding construction of the Pakistan-Tajikistan Road via Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan instead of Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The resolution was tabled by Nawaz Khan Naji.

Member Rehmat Khaliq said this road was inaugurated by Benazir Bhutto during her second term and now the present government of PPP was deviating from the decision of its former leaders which was a matter of great concern.

Law Minister Wazir Shakil said the GB government would take up the issue with the centre. Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah assured the house that the matter would be taken up with the concerned quarters.

Opposition leader Bashir Ahmed tabled a motion seeking attention of the government towards removal of a local daily off the list of the central media by the ministry of information.

The opposition leader alleged the GB government was attacking on the freedom of the press and harassing journalists, saying, a local journalist was tortured by the police in custody for reporting against them.

The chief minister said an inquiry had been ordered into the police raid on the office of the newspaper.

MEETING:

A high-level meeting on Tuesday reviewed law and order situation in the region. Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah chaired the meeting, official sources said.

The meeting was attended by senior officials of the administration, police, intelligence agencies as well as other stakeholders.

The chief minister directed the law-enforcers to utilise all resources to defeat those who were involved in disturbing the peaceful atmosphere in the area.

The sources said chief minister expressed his dismay over the performance of police and asked them to go hard against criminals. Later, the chief minister held a meeting with members of the assembly and council belonging to Gilgit city and took them into confidence about the measures he had ordered for maintaining peace in the area.

WOMEN IN SPORTS:

The Gilgit-Baltistan government was encouraging participation of women in sports to enable them to demonstrate their talent.

This was stated by the adviser to the chief minister on tourism, sports and youth affairs while responding to a question posed by a woman member during question answer hour of the ongoing session of the house. She said the women were totally ignored by previous governments and it was only the PPP government which was strengthening them in all spheres of life especially in sports. She said women emancipation was the priority of the present government.

She claimed to have been in contact with those girls who had excelled in examinations to pursue them to aggressively take part in sports activities.