Gilgit-Baltistan marks independence day with ceremony in Gilgit

Gilgit-Baltistan marked its independence day on 1 November with a ceremony at the Martyrs' Monument in Chinar Bagh, Gilgit, where Governor Syed Mehdi Shah and Chief Minister Amjad Hussain hoisted the national flag.

The governor and the chief minister laid a floral wreath at the Martyrs' and Heroes' Monument at the same site and offered Fateha, Radio Pakistan reported.

The flag-hoisting came before the wreath-laying and the Fateha, according to the report.

Addressing the ceremony, Governor Mehdi Shah said the day called on the people of Gilgit-Baltistan to pledge their loyalty to the homeland and to commit themselves to playing an active role in the development of the region. He described freedom as a magnificent blessing and said safeguarding it was the duty of everyone.

Radio Pakistan said in its report that the day was being celebrated with traditional zeal and enthusiasm.

The report named no other officials present at Chinar Bagh and gave no estimate of the number of people who attended. It did not say whether ceremonies were held in Gilgit-Baltistan's other districts, or at what time the Gilgit ceremony began.

The report carried no remarks by Chief Minister Amjad Hussain, naming him only alongside the governor at the flag-hoisting and the wreath-laying. No statement from the Gilgit-Baltistan government or from the Chief Minister's Office accompanied the report, which was issued by the state broadcaster.

Gilgit-Baltistan marks its independence day on 1 November.