Gilgit [PoGB] February 17 : Public frustration spilled onto the streets of Gilgit as women and students staged separate protests, highlighting what residents described as chronic governance failures in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB). The demonstrations were triggered by prolonged electricity load-shedding and a worsening drinking water crisis in the Jutial area, as reported by Dawn.
According to Dawn, a large number of women staged a sit-in outside the Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court and blocked the key Shahrah-i-Quaid-i-Azam road for several hours. Protesters accused authorities of neglecting basic civic responsibilities and failing to ensure access to essential services such as water and electricity. A representative of the demonstrators stated that neighbourhoods including Hussainabad Colony, Yasin Colony, Diamer Colony and Netco Colony had gone nearly two weeks without a proper water supply. Upper Jutial, she said, had experienced a complete suspension for several days. Residents claimed that while water had previously been supplied intermittently, allowing families to store it, no water had been provided for the past 10 days.
Electricity shortages have compounded the crisis, with load-shedding reportedly lasting up to 22 hours daily. Even when water becomes available in pipelines, residents are unable to pump it into storage tanks due to the absence of power. Protesters blamed corruption, administrative inefficiency and repeated policy failures despite substantial spending on the energy sector, as cited by Dawn.
The road blockade led to severe traffic congestion, leaving commuters stranded for hours before negotiations were initiated. In a parallel protest at Public Chowk, students of Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM) Sweet Home accused officials of failing to clear their school dues. The orphan students said they were expelled from a private institution over unpaid fees and opposed their proposed transfer from Police Public School to a government-run school, as reported by Dawn.