GILGIT, Feb 16: The administration of the Northern Areas has asked all its employees to resume work immediately or face action.

A high-level meeting headed by Northern Areas Chief Secretary Farid Khan on Wednesday decided that all secretaries should also ensure their presence in the offices and check their respective staff's attendance.

The meeting also decided that pick and drop facility would be provided to those employees who were facing problems in reaching offices. Over 10,000 government employees fled their offices and remained scattered following clashes on Jan 8 in which 17 people were killed and 16 injured in Gilgit.

Since then all the government offices offered a deserted look as angry mobs attacked Northern Areas Civil Secretariat, torched NAPWD headquarters, local government offices and health offices during the office hours.

The government employees are still scary and in grip of fear because of the security lapses in and around their offices. But an official of Northern Areas administration said that they had set up security check points and pickets around the offices.

MORE TROOPS: More army and paramilitary troops would be deployed in Gilgit to maintain peace during Muharram, official sources said here on Wednesday. They said in view of the violence incidents in the recent past, the authorities had ordered deployment of additional troops to ensure peace and provide protection to religious processions on Ashura.

The sources said that security had been strengthened and no untoward incidents would be allowed. However, the city is still in grip of fear and normality has not yet been restored. People are reluctant to resume routine activities as rumours on fake incidents are doing rounds.

Despite various assurances by the local administration, people feel uncertain about security and mistrust and suspicion have eroded the masses' confidence in state machinery.