THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
In early March 2026, the streets of Skardu — a quiet mountain town in Pakistan’s northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan — turned into scenes of chaos, grief, and anger. Protesters took to the roads, fires were lit, buildings burned, and then gunshots rang out. By the time the dust settled, more than a dozen people were dead and dozens more were wounded. To understand how this happened, we need to go back a few days.
On March 1, 2026, the United States and Israel carried out military strikes on Iran that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This was a massive and shocking event. For Shia Muslims around the world, Khamenei was not just a political leader — he was a deeply respected religious figure.
Gilgit-Baltistan is home to a large Shia Muslim population. When news of Khamenei’s death spread, the grief in this region was immediate and intense. People poured into the streets to mourn and to protest against the United States and Israel.
What Happened in Skardu?
The protests in Skardu and the nearby city of Gilgit quickly turned violent. Crowds set fire to buildings, including the local United Nations office. Roads were blocked. The situation spiraled out of control rapidly.
Security forces were deployed to control the crowds. Reports from the region say that police opened fire on protesters. Social media videos and posts claimed that 17 people were shot at close range. Verified reports from hospitals and news outlets confirmed that at least 12 protesters and one security official were killed across the Gilgit-Baltistan region. Hospital workers noted that some of the victims were young, possibly minors.
The exact number of deaths remains difficult to confirm. The Pakistani government cut off mobile internet and phone services in the region almost immediately, making it very hard for journalists, families, or aid workers to get accurate information in or out.
The Government’s Response
The Gilgit-Baltistan government acted quickly — but harshly. They declared an indefinite curfew, meaning people were ordered to stay inside their homes. The Pakistan Army was brought in under Article 245 of the Constitution, a legal provision that allows the military to be deployed to maintain order.
Cellular networks were shut down across the region. This blackout made it nearly impossible for anyone inside to communicate with the outside world. Human rights observers and journalists raised serious concerns about what might be happening behind that wall of silence.
The Grief of a Community
In a deeply symbolic act of protest, the families of those killed refused to bury their loved ones. In Islam, burial is traditionally done quickly, often within 24 hours of death. Choosing to delay a burial is a powerful statement of grief and demand for justice.
The community announced they would not hold the funerals until the government officially accepted a list of their demands. These included accountability for the killings, an end to the curfew, and the restoration of communication services. The image of coffins waiting in homes while families demanded answers became one of the most haunting symbols of this tragedy.
The violence in Skardu was not an isolated incident. Across Pakistan, at least 24 people died in protests during those first days of March 2026. Ten people were killed in Karachi alone. The country was shaken by a wave of anger that connected local grief to a global conflict thousands of miles away.
It is also important to note that Gilgit-Baltistan is a region with a complicated political status. It is administered by Pakistan but its final legal standing has never been fully settled — making it especially vulnerable, with fewer formal legal protections than other parts of the country.
The events in Skardu remind us that wars are never contained to where they are fought. The death of a leader in Iran lit a fire of grief in Pakistan’s mountains. That grief, met with live bullets and silence, turned a protest into a massacre.
The people of Gilgit-Baltistan deserve answers. They deserve to know why their sons and daughters were shot on the streets. They deserve to mourn openly and safely. And the world deserves to know what happened there — even as the government tries to keep the lights off.
The coffins are still waiting.
References
1.https://risingkashmir.com/blood-on-the-streets-of-gilgit-baltistan/
2.https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/2/fury-on-pakistan-streets-20-dead-after-us-israel-strike-kills-khamenei
3.https://tribune.com.pk/story/2595209/un-office-torched-in-skardu-as-protests-erupt-over-khameneis-killing
4. https://www.arabnews.com/node/2634968/pakistan
5.https://pamirtimes.net/2026/03/02/gilgit-baltistan-unrest-13-dead-curfew-imposed-army-deployed-after-violent-protests-over-assassination-of-irans-supreme-leader
