Fed Govt to Prob GB Violence

Islamabad -- The federal government has constituted a high level committee to investigate the violent incidents that occurred during protests in Gilgit-Baltistan on March 1, 2026, resulting in deaths, injuries and damage to public and private property.

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control on March 11, 2026, and published in the Gazette of Pakistan, the committee has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive inquiry into the circumstances that led to the unrest.

The notification states that the committee will examine the factors that triggered the protests, including patterns of mobilization and the response of the civil administration and law enforcement agencies.

The committee will be headed by Special Secretary Interior Dawood Muhammad Bareach. Its members include Commandant National Police Academy Muhammad Idrees Ahmad and Joint Secretary Interior Tariq Salam Marwat, who will serve as secretary of the committee. Representatives of Inter Services Intelligence and Military Intelligence will also be part of the inquiry body.

The panel has been assigned a broad mandate, including assessing the preparedness and performance of the authorities, identifying any lapses, negligence or coordination gaps, and evaluating the extent of damage caused to public and private property, including government installations.

It will also recommend corrective measures, accountability proceedings and preventive safeguards to avoid similar incidents in the future, as well as propose steps to strengthen intelligence coordination, crowd management and crisis response mechanisms in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The committee has been authorized to co opt relevant officials, call for records from concerned departments and seek assistance where required. It has been directed to submit its report along with recommendations within 30 days.

In a separate communication, Ministry of Interior also asked the directors general of Inter Services Intelligence and Military Intelligence to nominate their representatives for the committee.

The protests in Gilgit-Baltistan on March 1 were part of demonstrations held in several areas following reports of US and Israeli strikes on Iran that resulted in the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Clashes between protesters and security forces in Gilgit and Skardu left several people dead and many others injured, while public buildings and installations were damaged during the unrest.

Authorities later deployed additional security forces, imposed a curfew in parts of Gilgit, Skardu and Shigar, and initiated measures to restore law and order in the region.