AMONG those who addressed the recent public rally by the opposition in Islamabad was a former chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). Indeed, he was representing the entire GB region when addressing the gathering. I was deeply appalled by the foul language he used. By no means was his speech reflective of the language used in the GB region whose people are famous for being extremely hospitable, soft-spoken and well-mannered. His speech, or rather hate speech, replete with filthy words, was completely unbecoming of our cultural values and mannerism.

His speech has left the people of GB embarrassed, since such vile rhetoric is anathema to most of them. Being a resident of GB, I condemn and disassociate myself from the words that have put the region to shame, and tainted the soft image of our region. It is a matter of embarrassment that such people are representing us who cannot live up to our traditional ethos.

Zahid Ali Zohri
Gilgit-Baltistan

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2024