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       GILGIT: Demonstrations were held in various areas of Baltistan division on Monday against the arrest of three religious scholars at the Pakistan-Iran border in Balochistan after they returned from Iran.

       Leader of the Opposition in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Kazim Mesum, along with religious scholars, demanded the immediate release of the three detained scholars.

       A sit-in blocking Kargil Road in GB’s Kharmang district continued for the third consecutive day, while another demonstration was staged on K2 Road in Shigar district.

       Protesters said Syed Aga Ali Abbas from Kharmang, Sheikh Ghulam Abbas from Skardu and Sheikh Akhtar Hussain from Shigar were students at a religious institution in Iran. Holding pictures of the detained scholars, the protesters chanted slogans demanding their release.

       Opposition leader, clerics demand their ‘unconditional’ release

       The three scholars were returning from Iran and had entered Pakistan through the Rimdan-Gabd border crossing in Balochistan when they were allegedly detained by police on February 25.

       Since then, there has been no contact, raising serious concerns among their families and the community.

       On Sunday, despite rain and snowfall, a large number of local people, including women, staged a sit-in blocking Kargil Road. Similarly, a large gathering of women staged a protest on K2 Road against the detention of the religious scholars. Earlier, a protest demonstration was also held in Gamba, Skardu, demanding the release of the scholars.

       The protesters condemned the arrests, stating that the detention of the three religious scholars was unjustified and without any crime. They urged the government to conduct an immediate investigation and ensure the safe return of the detained scholars.

       Mr Mesum warned that there would be strong reactions across Baltistan over the arrest and shifting of the scholars to an unknown location. In a statement, he said the federal government would have to face consequences for the ill-treatment of the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan. He demanded the immediate release of the scholars.

       Meanwhile, Anjuman-i-Imamia Baltistan has announced that protests will intensify if the detained scholars were not released.

       Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2025