Authorities in Pakistan have arrested 17 suspects in connection with an attack on a bus in which nine people were killed and another 16 injured in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.
Unidentified gunmen opened fire at a passenger bus in the Chilas area of Diamer district at about 6.30pm on Saturday, causing it to collide with a lorry.
Two army personnel and one member of the police force were among the dead.
The bus was travelling from the Ghizer area of the mountainous northern region to the federal capital Islamabad.
Deputy inspector general of police in Diamer, Farrukh Rasheed, said 17 people had been arrested in search operations launched after the shooting.
“At the moment, it is premature to declare any breakthrough but the probe is ongoing and hopefully we will get some clue soon,” he told The National.
“We have beefed up security in the entire Chilas area, where the number of checkpoints has been increased, with stricter checking at the entry and exit points. Also, it is strictly ensured that vehicles move in the form of a convoy being escorted by security personnel.”
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The Pakistani Taliban, which has stepped up militant attacks since late last year, on Sunday denied involvement in the shooting.
Residents of Chilas staged a protest on Monday to demand the identification and arrest of the attackers.
“This is not the first time a shooting has happened in Chilas – the area has witnessed frequent incidents,” said Faizullah Firaq, a community elder and a former spokesman for the regional government. "Now we want the authorities to bring the culprits to justice.
“Locals are peaceful and hospitable people and the area is also a tourist spot. We want to put an end to such incidents so that tourists come here,” he told The National.
Sher Ghazi, a resident of Gilgit-Baltistan who works for a non-government organisation based in Islamabad, told The National his brother was killed in a shooting in Chilas in 2012.
Mr Ghazi, who commutes frequently between Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad, said it was rare for culprits to be identified and arrested in the event of such shootings in the Chilas area.
“On November 5, I travelled from GB to Islamabad, spending 22 hours during the commute that normally takes 12 hours, because we had to stop and move in the form of a convoy as part of security measures. However, the shooting took place because travel in the form of convoys had been halted in recent days.”
The convoy system was introduced in August after a rise in sectarian tension in the region, which is home to three sects – Sunnis, Shiites and Ismailis. Sunni clerics called for protests in response to comments by a Shiite cleric, resulting in the blockade of roads by Sunnis in Chilas and the Kohistan area of neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Authorities ordered buses to travel in convoys, escorted by security personnel, from Gilgit through Chilas and up to Kohistan.
The convoy system was halted 10 days ago, according to Fida Hussain, co-ordinator of the GB Action Committee, a human rights organisation.
“Had the convoy system been in place, the attack may not have happened,” he said.
“It was strange that attackers carried out such an attack in the Chilas area as the population is small and all residents know each other. How did the local authorities fail to prevent this?”
Mr Rasheed, meanwhile, said the use of convoys was halted because authorities believed the situation had returned to normal.
“Even if a convoy was moving at time, the attack would have caused more casualties," the police officer said.
There is no conspiracy in this. We are trying our level best to ensure security.”
The Gilgit-Baltistan government announced compensation of one million rupees ($3,542) for the families of those killed, 500,000 rupees for those seriously injured and 300,000 rupees for people who suffered minor injuries, said Eman Shah, an adviser to the regional administration.
The region is governed by Pakistan as an administrative territory, with its elected legislative assembly enjoying fewer powers than those in the four fully fledged provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. It is also an area disputed by India and Pakistan.
New Delhi last month voiced concern over a visit there in September by US ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
MATCH INFO
Who: France v Italy
When: Friday, 11pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
- Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
- Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
- Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
- Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
- Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
- Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
- Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
- Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
Honeymoonish
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The%20Kitchen
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
25%20Days%20to%20Aden
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)