Gilgit-Baltistan marks Independence Day as ISPR releases special song
First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari issued a message paying tribute to the courage and sacrifices of the region's people, UrduPoint reported.
Gilgit-Baltistan observed its Independence Day on 1 November, Express News reported, and the military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, released a special song for the occasion.
According to UrduPoint, First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari issued a message for the day paying tribute to the courage and sacrifices of the region's people. The outlet published the message under a headline on Gilgit-Baltistan's Independence Day; the full text was not available to Skardu Times.
Express News reported that the day recalls 1 November 1947, when, in its account, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan ended Dogra rule and acceded to Pakistan. The report said Gilgit Scouts and local fighters faced Indian forces and raised the Pakistani flag, and that Baltistan was freed from Indian control on 14 August 1948 after a year of struggle.
The outlet also said the region's people fought in the Pakistan-India wars after 1947, and described the 1947 campaign in Gilgit-Baltistan as one of the chapters of bravery in global military history.
ISPR released the song, titled "Shan-e-Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan", according to the same report. It said the lyrics are by Zeeshan Mehdi, a poet from Gilgit-Baltistan, and the vocals by JJ Ali Sheena, and that the song highlights the region's historical struggle and its people's pride in, and attachment to, Pakistan.
Neither report carried a programme of official events in Gilgit, Skardu or other districts, or any statement from the Gilgit-Baltistan government, its chief minister or the regional assembly. Skardu Times could not independently confirm the details of the day's events.
Gilgit-Baltistan's Independence Day is observed on 1 November each year, the date Express News gave for the end of Dogra rule in 1947.
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