PIA continues denying tickets to Chitral passengers

DAWN
Report Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD: Some strong elements at the Rawalpindi office of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) continue to deny tickets to intending passengers on the Islamabad-Chitral flights, causing hardship to the people and financial loss to the national flag-carrier.
Talking to this correspondent on the phone, Chitral Tehsil Nazim Sartaj Ahmed Khan on Wednesday regretted that despite assurances by the higher authorities of PIA, no step had been taken to resolve the matter.
He said some delegates coming to Chitral to attend a seminar were denied tickets by the PIA officials in Rawalpindi saying that seats were not available. However, he expressed the surprise that most of the seats on the flight remained vacant during the last couple of days.
Chitralis living in the twin cities said the PIA officials always denied them tickets while flights were going to the valley almost empty. They said some elements in the office were cheating on the corporation and causing it huge losses while the high-ups had failed to take action against them.
The Islamabad-Chitral service was launched in May 2007 to end the communication-related problems of the people of Chitral and promote tourism in the area. However, after about six months, the operation was suspended citing unavailability of enough passengers. Later, the service was re-launched but the PIA instead of encouraging the ticket-seekers created hurdles in the smooth operation of the service.
People of Chitral living in the twin cities said PIA management had deliberately made it impossible for the passengers to get seats on the flights despite long queues of ticket seekers in its offices in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
"Ever since the PIA started service on this route, there was a conspiracy from within the organisation itself to sabotage the service. Passengers are refused seats, while the planes are flying from Islamabad almost empty. Even chance tickets are refused to the passengers," they said. On the other hand, flights from Chitral always remained full to capacity.
When the 10,500-foot Lowari Pass closes for all types of traffic in winter due to snowfall, the people of Chitral used to travel through the lawless Kunar province of Afghanistan. However, this year the route will also remain out of bounds due to military operations in Bajaur and other areas of the province. People of Chitral have called upon the government to announce special package to end their communication problems till completion of the Lowari tunnel.

Blocked traffic diverted to alternative route

Report GH Farooqui, Chitral

Tehsil Nazim Chitral Sartaj Ahmad Khan opened the blocked traffic in Shelly village in front of Ayun by diverting it through the nearby land of the local people.
Traffic had been blocked due to continuous land sliding in the village for the last one week due to blasting of a mountain to widen the main road by the National Highway Authority.
Hundreds of vehicles going to wards Chitral and Peshwar were waiting on both sides of the road.
The tehsil nazim had requested the local people to allow the vehicles to pass through their land as an alternative to the main road. The NHA has started work for constructing a bypass road via Shelly village and Chitral river.

The New York Times > World > Image > A Controversial Imagining of Borders

The New York Times > World > Image > A Controversial Imagining of Borders

Public up at arms against new bus fares

Report Ibrahim Qabool, Mastuj

People here have reacted strongly to the U-turn taken by the district administration on public transport fares on the pressure of the drivers union.
The district administration had earlier fixed public transport fares between the Chitral town and all villages in the tehsil in accordance with the decrease in the prices of petroleum products. However, drivers belonging to Mastuj went on a strike for about 20 to 25 days against the new bus fares enforced by the district administration.
On November 21, representatives of the drivers union and some nazims held a meeting with the DRO (district revenue officer) after which the bus fares were increased on the demand of the transporters.
But the public is not ready to accept the latest revision. They say the first decision of the district administration ie DCO, DPO and the DRO was rational because the prices of petroleum product have been decreasing day by day.
The public of Mastuj say they are also disappointed at the role of UC nazim Ibrahim Shah in taking the side of the drivers.
On November 22, social worker Molaiddin Shah of Mastuj told Mr Ibrahim Shah that this was totally injustice with the people and they would not accept the revised bus fares.
Our representatives also received phone calls from people belonging to almost all walks of life condemning the latest revision in transport fares and terming it anti-people. They said instead of surrendering to the drivers, the local administration should have brought down the fares in accordance with the slump in POL prices and give some relief to the commuters already hard hit by ever rising inflation.
They asked the district administration to ensure implementation of the previous bus fares.

Previous bus fare fixed by district administration

Station Passenger vehical
(special) Rate per passenger
Loaded vehicle Rate per
50 KG Rate per 40 KG
Chitral to Mastuj 130 130 60 60

Revised by nazims and representatives of drivers union on 21st November

Station Passenger vehical
(special) Rate per passenger
Loaded vehicle Rate per
50 KG Rate per 40 KG Rate of 50 and 40 KG is also applicable for passenger vehicles.
Chitral to Mastuj 165 140 70 60

Lowari tunnel digging to complete by Jan 15: minister

PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Communications Dr Alamgir Khan said on Sunday that work on the 8.5 kilometer long Lowari Tunnel would be completed by January 15.

The minister said the residents of Chitral were only 400 metres away from the long-awaited dream and hoped that their dream would be materalized by January 15. The tunnel, he said, would open the landlocked culturally rich district for tourism and would connect it with Central Asian states and promote trade and investment in the region. Initially, a train would run into the tunnel and will take about 45 minutes from one end to the other.

The minister said renovation work such as electrification etc would be completed in six to eight months. He said Lowari tunnel would restore centuries-old ties between Pakistan and CARs.--APP

How safe is the Lowari tunnel?

By Maureen Lines

ZIARAT, on the Chitral side of the Lowari Pass, near the village of Asheret, is the gateway to Chitral and home to a contingent of the Chitral Scouts. It is also the final resting place of a Muslim saint who died many decades ago.
It has been the scene of many tragedies. Last year, 11 Scouts were killed in an avalanche; the year before, a Korean engineer was washed away in a flood, along with a small satellite village and expensive equipment. Ziarat is the site of the second entrance to the Lowari tunnel.
I have been travelling across the Lowari for the past 28 years. I know every twist and turn. I have been stranded at the top in a winter blizzard, slipped and slithered in spring ice and snow, and suffered from the heat of the summer in an open jeep on the lower slopes.
At the end of the eighties, I travelled with an American survey team across the pass. At the entrance to the tunnel (started in 1975 and abandoned due to ‘snags’), the senior geologist pointed out an earthquake fault line above the entrance. A couple of months later, I received a Christmas card from his wife telling me her husband had died in mysterious circumstances. No other details were given, nor any address.
I have been present both in Peshawar and Chital during minor earthquakes. Last week there was a tremor in Drosh. Two weeks ago, my Chitrali driver was coming to pick me up in Dir and felt a tremor coming over the pass. I have trekked all over these mountains and in Nuristan. I know only too well how treacherous and unstable the terrain is, especially when the mountainside is being blasted or heavy rains have fallen. In the Kalash valley of Birir I have seen many floods caused by deforestation.
In these mountains there is water seepage. When crossing the passes into Nuristan and taking shelter in caves I made it a point to always check if there was any water seeping through the rocks. What are the chances of floods and water seepage in the vicinity of the tunnel? Supposedly, if a tunnel is being dug through a thick rock base, there should be no water seepage, but what about all the mining disasters that have occurred throughout the world due to water seepage?
And floods? On the Chitral side of the tunnel the entrance has been built at the junction of two nullahs, one leading from the Lowari Top and the other which lies beneath deforested slopes. It was here that the flood came and washed away the engineer. On the mountainside opposite the tunnel entrance, below a slope shorn of trees, is the new construction housing the Chitral Scouts. It was here that the avalanche swept away the Scouts last year.
These are just the outside physical aspects. What about inside the tunnel? Is there any water seepage as rumoured? Has the soil been stabilised? Has the rock within the tunnel been reinforced with rock bolts? If so, has the tensile strength of the steel from which rock bolts are made been tested? Has a reliable epoxy been injected under pressure into these holes, which are often overhead? What about air quality? Maintenance? These are generally failings in Pakistan.
Although the Koreans are the experts involved in the tunnel operation, it was the Japanese who were first asked to build it. They refused as they considered it far too complicated and expensive. Tunnel-building is always hazardous. Some years ago there were problems in tunnels in the Alps. Recently a fire broke out in the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France.
Although a railway has been planned for the Lowari tunnel, there is a rumour that the tunnel may be open for light traffic this winter. Rs5.4bn was the quoted price for the tunnel in 2005. What is the real cost in 2008? How much has been allocated for the safety and security of the tunnel? I have requested a meeting with the secretary for communications in the hope that he can answer these questions.
The people of Chitral have always been desperate for an all-weather route throughout the year. They have long been neglected and cut off from the rest of the country, as though they were second-class citizens, but why were other alternatives such as a chairlift and an alternative highway on the Swat side of the pass not given more consideration?
The Chitralis want access to the outside world during the winter as well as the rest of the year, but they do not want to put their lives in danger. It is imperative that the public be told about measures taken for their safety and that before the tunnel is opened inspection teams from the Alpine countries of Europe be given tours of this project.--Dawn

The writer, a British author and photographer, is the director of the Kalash Environmental Protection Society and the Hindukush Conservation Association.

Formation of forest committees discussed

Report GH Farooqui
CHITRAL: A meeting of Zilla Council Chitral under the chair of Convener Sultan Shah discussed criteria for distribution of fund under the head of forest royalty and establishment of Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMC).
The District Forest Officer (DFO) briefed the house regarding JFMC criteria. Members of the house said the forest department had failed to implement JFMC rules 2004. The house also expressed its concern over the fact that funds were either not being distributed among the real royalty holders or were embezzled with the conspiracy of the timber mafia. Some of the nazims pointed out that the forest department had established JFMC at each village but they had ignored other non-government organizations like village committees, citizen community boards, women organizations etc.
Qayyum Baig, nazim union council Khoth, asked the DFO to explain how many trees had been cut and why some trees had been marked twice. Besides, why the near and dears one were included in the JFMC.
The district officer revenue and estate Akbar Jalal also briefed the house regarding detail of funds distributed among different royalty holders.
Syed Imtiaz Hussain Jan Advocate, nazim union council Ashriat, presented a resolution which was passed unanimously. It demanded that a committee should be formed under the chair of Imtiaz Hussain Jan to probe into the establishment and framing of a JFMC without the knowledge of the local community.

Paragliding club to be set up in Chitral

Report GH Farooqui
CHITRAL: The DCO Chitral Mutassim Billah Shah has said a paragliding club will be set up in Chitral to attract paragliders from within the country and abroad. He said Chitral has a suitable topography for this purpose. We have state land which can be used for this project, he added. He was presiding over a meeting of the district sports committee.
He said land at Birmogh Lasht was very much suitable for paragliding as foreign paragliders were already using it. A camp office for paragliding club will also be opened at Booni to facilitate the players. He said Shandur polo tournament is our traditional game which would be promoted further. He also promised to set up a sports office at Chitral to guide and support the local players.
The participants complained about unavailability of stadiums and playgrounds in the valley. Tehsil nazim Mastuj Sikandarul Mulk said he had already offered free of cost land for a playground and stadium but there were no funds for construction purposes.
The participants also complained of encroachments in polo grounds by public as well as some departments. They said a polo ground at Ayun had been occupied and most of its parts were under encroachments. Some departments have also occupied polo ground at Koghuzi. The polo ground at Chitral was being used by students of a private college. They said Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism (CAMAT) should be engaged and activated for promotion of sports and tourism.
The DCO also proposed arranging tours of Chitral polo players to Northern Areas and players of N.As to Chitral for enhancing mutual understand and harmony.

NATCO service in Chitral

For 16 to 18 days, NATCO joined private drivers and observed a strike and did not provide service to the public when it was needed the most. As per statement of Haji Murad, Shahzada Sikanderul Mulk, the Tehsil Nazim Mastuj, reprimanded driver Fateh Lal for not providing service to the public and being government servant violating order and participating in a strike with private drivers.
There are three land cruisers of the company in Chitral. One provides service from Mastuj to Brok and the other two ply from Chitral to Mastuj. But unfortunately none of them is working properly. One of the drives, Fateh Lal from Khuzh, is serving from Chitral to Khuzh, Brep, Chuinj, Chapari and parks teh vehicle at his home.
Zar Khan belongs to Balim and serves from Chitral to Laspure but he also parks the goernment.vehicle at his home in Balim.
Same is the case with Mr Rabnawaz Khan from Sor Laspur who is deputed on Chitral-Laspur route but he too has parked the vehicle at his home in Sor Laspur.
Therefore, you are requested to highlight these points so that action should be taken against the responsible.

Ibrahim Qabool
Chitral.

Call to appoint civil judge at Drosh

Report GH Farooqui
CHITRAL: The post of Civil Judge Drosh is lying vacant for the last four months. As a result, litigants in this thickly- populated tehsil are facing numerous problems.
They have to travel 50 km to the court of Civil Judge in Chitral for hearing ofpetty cases. Besides, people from Arandu situated some 90 km from Chitral also come to Chitral for petty cases. Drosh has a population of over 60,000 but they are deprived of some basic facilities including the local judiciary.
Ihsanullah, General Councillor, of Ashirat said people from Ziarat, Lowari, Ashirat, Zrandu and other far-away villages were compelled to go to Chitral for bail in section 107 instead of Drosh as the seat of Civil Judge is lying vacant. He demanded that Chief Justice Peshawar High Court and Governor NWFP should order posting of a civil judge in Drosh immediately to solve the problems of these people.

Writ of district govt in Chitral bazaar

Report Bashir Hussain Azad, Chitral

It is heartening to note that the DCO of Chitral has fixed the prices of essential commodities of daily use during the coming winter keeping in view the best interest of the people.
We appreciate all those steps which are being taken by the DCO for the benefit of Chitral. We see every year that the district administration fixes official rates for various items in the local market. But the fair implementation of these rates has never taken place. Some examples will help us to know the real situation. The DCO has fixed the price of firewood at Rs150 per maund but in the local market it is being sold at Rs210 per maund. Firewood is the most important item widely used during winter season for heating purpose.
The official rate of mutton has been lowered to Rs160 per kg but in the meat market it is available at Rs200 per kg. Similarly, the fixed price of beef is Rs130 per kg but the bazaar rate is Rs150 per kg. Same is the case with Tandoors and vegetable market. A week ago, the DCO paid a surprise visit to the Tandoors and fined some of the owners for selling low weight naan. He also gave prizes to the owners of some tandoors for their honesty and fair play. But the practice of selling low weight rooti at Rs8 is still high in the Tandoor market. The sudden inspection of the market by the DCO and imposition of fine has not discouraged the malpractices of the owners of Tandoors.
Vegetable market is also involved in profiteering. So the strict implementation of the official rate is the need of the hour in Chitral. The district government should ensure its writ and check profiteering and hoarding properly during the winter season.

Lowari Pass re-opens

CHITRAL: Lowari Pass, the only land route connecting Chitral with other parts of the country, was reopened by National Highway Authority (NHA) for light traffic on Sunday, Tehsil Nazim Chitral Sartaj Ahmad Khan confirmed while talking to this scribe. The Lowari Pass had blocked for all types of traffic on Wednesday night after heavy snowfall.--GH Farooqui

Bul Subedar passes away

CHITRAL: A prominent figure of Chitral, Subedar (retired) Bul Khan, died of heart attack. He was 85. He was laid to rest at his ancestral village of Charoon in the presence of hundreds of mourners.

A large number of people belonging to all walks of life attended his funeral prayer and condolence ceremony at his residence.
The deceased was the father of Inayatullah, Bashir, Muhkam and uncle of Rahmat Wali, secretary to Tehsil Nazim Chitral; Iqbal Wali of Social Welfare Office and Sardar Muhammad.--GH Farooqui

Rs110 million released for power house expansion

Chitral Update Report
DIZG (Yarkhun valley): A sum of Rs110 million have been released for the expansion of a power house at Grover village in the Yarkhun valley which provides electricity to Istach, Dizg, Khruzg and Mahting villages.
The funds have been allocated for the project under the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) through the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme.
The community members said they were holding meetings and would soon start work on the project. They said the funds had been transferred to the local people which had earlier constructed the 15 KV power house on the Grover Gol about ten years ago. The power house has become insufficient to meet the demand of the residents and a request had been made to the authorities concerned for expansion of the facility.
Recently a 50 KW power station has also been completed on the river for the Brep village but due to a dispute between the locals and AKRSP, and collapse of the water tank it has not yet been inaugurated. The water tank is being reconstructed by the residents.
After expansion of the small power house, the frequent breakdowns in the power supply to the villages will be resolved on a permanent basis. The local people thanked the MNA for allocation of funds for the project.

Chitral: Parkusap bridge inaugurated

Chitral Update Report

MASTUJ: A jeepable bridge contructed over the
Yarkhun river linking Parkusap and Ghoro
villages with other parts of Mastuj was
inaugurated by MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin and
MPA Ghulam Mohammad on Friday.
Funds for the reconstruction of the bridge, which
was destroyed by floods last year, were provided
by the Sarhad Rural Support Programme.
Speaking on the occasion, the MNA lauded the
local people for their participation in the
construction of the bridge. He also hailed
the services of the SRSP for the development
of the far-off areas of Chitral.

Fuel crisis: Federal govt comes to Chitral's rescue

Chitral Updare Report
CHITRAL: The federal government has assured the district government of Chitral that it will provide 3.5 millions litres of diesel to the valley soon.
The decision was taken on the request of the district administration in the wake of a fuel crisis looming large on the district due to the current financial constraints and blockade of communication in winter.
The Pakistan State Oil has at present 1.56 million litres of fuel stock in the district while the daily local consumption is 50,000 to 60,000 litres. There was apprehension that the district will be left with no fuel at all after the closure of the Lowari pass this year, as supplies would also be impossible via the Afghan route this year due to military operation in Bajaur and other parts of the NWFP.

NHA rules out Lowari tunnel opening this year

ISLAMABAD: Regarding the possibility to open the Lowari tunnel for the public soon after its completion this year, the National Highway Authority has issued the following statement:
We would like to take this opportunity to apprise the people of the actual status of the project and the timeframe of its formal opening.

The excavation work on the Lowari tunnel is expected to be completed this winter. However, once the excavation is completed, the tunnel will remain under close technical observation for a certain period of time in order to ensure that there is no deformation or overstressing in the rocks. Also, once the excavation is completed, a host of civil works involving movement of heavy machinery will need to be carried out inside the tunnel.

The tunnel has to be completed in all respects and declared absolutely safe by engineers before opening it for public use. At present, work is proceeding as planned and the tunnel is expected to formally open by the end of 2010.

POL crisis may hit Chitral

Report GH Farooqui, Chitral
Leaders of all political parties here on Tuesday discussed the imminent shortage of POL products in Chitral as there is a stock left for one month only.
The participants discussed various means to solve the problem after the blockade of the Lowari pass this winter.
Tehsil Nazim Sartaj Ahmad Khan disclosed that there was an acute shortage of diesel and the district required four million litres of high speed diesel, 0.1 million litres of petrol and 0.250 million litres of kerosene.
Tahir Mehmood, in-charge of depot operations Pakistan State Oil, said they have already informed the district government about the shortage of oil. He said if the situation persisted the PSO would face billion of loss. The participants also complained that diesel was being smuggled to Afghanistan.
Leaders of different political parties like PPP, PML-N, ANP etc, suggested to contact their members of parliament to raise the issue on the floors of the assemblies for quick action and supply of oil to Chitral before the closure of Lowari top.
ACO Chitral Miftahuddin said the provincial government had been informed about the situation and it was under process.
The PSO representative informed the participants that they had millions of rupees pending against several departments; as a result, they cannot be dumping more oil until the federal government played a role for releasing their dues. The participants also expressed their concern over unavailability of oil and said the supply of wheat and other food items could not be made possible without fuel.
The participants also feared that the ongoing projects can also suffer due to the shortage of oil. They also suggested that NHA, Wapda and other departments should stock oil on their own.
The meeting was also informed that transportation of food items have also been banned via Kunar road.
The participants condemned PSO for not storing fuel as usual which led to the crisis. They decided to contact MNA and MPAs from Chitral for taking quick action on this issue. a Delegation should meet highups of PSO and provincial and Federal government in this regard.

Khowar-Urdu dictionary launched

Report Zahiruddin, Chitral

Speakers at a ceremony held here on Sunday said that Khowar language and literature could be ranked with other languages of the country because of its rich and varied vocabulary.
The ceremony was held to launch the first-ever Khowar-Urdu dictionary. The speakers said that the compilation and publication of the Khowar dictionary was a landmark achievement.
Those who addressed the ceremony included compiler of the dictionary Naji Khan Naji, former MPA Maulana Jahangir Khan, tehsil nazim Sartaj Ahmed Khan, president of Anjuman Taraqi-i-Khowar M Yousuf Shahazad, intellectuals Mukarram Shah, Moula Nigah and others.
They said that the dictionary contained more than 16,000 words and phrases of Khowar language which had been rendered into the national language. They said that serious efforts by the writers and poets of Khowar were afoot to bring the language at par with the other languages of the country.
The speakers said that the number of publications on Khowar prose and poetry had reached 500 which showed steady progress and advancement of the language. They said that diversity of the subjects used in the language was enough to testify the approach of the Khowar writers.
They said though a good number of words had been replaced by other languages but the dictionary still preserved the essence of the Khowar language.--Dawn

Bodies of martyred Scouts still not dispatched to Chitral

CHITRAL: The bodies of two Chitral Scouts personnel killed in a suicide attack in Mingora Swat were not dispatched to Chitral for burial till filing of this report on Friday evening. The victims were identified as Sepoy Hajiur Rehman of Prayeet village and Sepoy Imtiaz Ahmed of Ayun.--Zahiruddin

Kidnapped girl recovered, handed over to father

Report Zahiruddin

CHITRAL: A girl reportedly kidnapped from her house by her husband and his accomplices over two months ago was produced before a local court on Friday and handed over to her father.
The girl Shazia from the Kalash valley of Rumboor was kidnapped by her husband Hafizullah two months ago and was taken to the Afghan area of Nooristan which borders Chitral district.
Telling her tale of woes to the journalists at the Chitral Press Club here, she said that she was wedded to a boy of her village four years ago but her husband and other in-laws made her life a hell and persecuted her.
“I was treated like an animal and made to toil in the fields and given nothing to eat while my meeting with my father, mother and sisters and brother had been completely banned”, she said.
Shazia said that at last her father filed an application with a local court to seek her divorce from her husband and the case was ongoing. She added that in August, her husband broke open her house at midnight with nine armed men and kidnapped her at gunpoint and took her to the Nooristan area on the other side of the border.
She said that she was beaten by her husband and his accomplice Kamaluddin throughout the way. She said that due to the slaps at her cheeks, she lost her hearing power.
She said that in the house where she was confined, she was also roughed up by her husband due to the fear of the members of the host family. She said she was constantly asked by her husband to forget her parents and other family members and warned that if she told the host family members about her abduction, her father would be slaughtered by his men.
Shazia apprehended that her husband would kidnap her again and appealed to the authorities for her safety. Speaking on the occasion, Shah Nawaz, the father of Shazia and Ghulam Hazrat, her counsel said that her return from the clutches of the abductors was made possible with the interference of the court.
They appealed to the government to establish a checkpost of Chitral Scouts in the district to stop such incidents in future as presently the border area was not guarded by a strong force to check such activities.

A window into culture at the roof of the world

This entry is a brief interlude in my Chitral story. Never fear, the next stage will be written very shortly, but in the meantime one of my colleagues (Tayib Jan) has written an article about traditions in the Wakhi culture. The Wakhi people come from the Wakhan corridor in Afghanistan, which is a narrow stretch of land between N Pakistan and Tajikistan. But Wakhi people now live in Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and Tajikistan, in the Pamir region. Nearly all Wakhi people are Ismaili, and their language is very similar to Persian. The following article is about their traditons and culture, particularly within the family. I really wish he had given it to me before I went to Chitral, as the culture there is quite similar, and according to this I made some fundamental errors. But never mind....

'Childhood, youth and old age are natural phenomenon, but they are also socially constructed and mean different things in different societies. Generally, for the purposes of gauging human development, stages are classified as beginning, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. There are not age limits as such set internationally or nationally at what age we are young and at what age one gets old. It has more to do with the cognitive abilities and working capacity or physical activeness. Some people used to say that when the hair turns gray one becomes old, but today even very young children have grey hair. Socially it can be measured against more or less experience; a synonym for being knowledgeable against being naïve or novice. When youth assume that the old people are ignorant of the demands of time, or when old people think that the youth has a little know-how of the world and its complexities, cracks can develop in society.

Many societies and families have long traditions of authority in which most decisions are made by the elders. If the tradition of accepting the elders is deeply inculcated in the youth the system moves very smoothly. Otherwise, issues of disagreement escalate and on occasions turn into serious revolt. In some cases children have tried to get rid of their elders by sending them to old age facility centers or used some other innovative brutal ways. In other cases the youth have tried a simpler way of just ignoring them despite of the age related requirement that the need to be in some company at least for few hours a day to share the wealth the knowledge they have stored from childhood through youth and to the old age. Some old people are smart and lucky enough to find their grandchildren as their friends. They talk to them and love listening to their experiences and reflect on how much the world has changed.

The Wakhi older adults are good models of vigor and zest. Some people live to ripe old age, as my own grandfather grew as old as 120 years. There are some social factors attached to energy that boost their morale because they feel honoured in the society. In this paper I am going to talk about the titles used for them, decision making, and position at home, dinning, dancing and walking. This paper will not only help the honorable visitors of the Wakhi homes rather it will also allow our own youth to remind themselves of the traditional values of our society. I am aware of the fact that their will be commonalities in other traditions such as Brushaski, Shina, Khowar, and Dari but I will focus on Wakhi so that I do not confuse people.

The Wakhi elders can be called “Mapair”, “Akabeer”, Moye Safeed” or Akhasqool”. Mapair and Akhasqool have the same meaning as old man. Therefore people do not use both these words as they have negative connotations. Akabeer (wise man) and Moye Safeed (white haired man or women meaning experienced). But the most common word used is “Puop”, which means grandfather. The beauty of this title is that it is not necessary that a person needs to be a real grandfather to be called pup. All old males are called pup and while meeting them the first time after a long absence it is necessary to kiss the back of their hands. In return the pup will also kiss the back of your hand. Old ladies are called “Kumpir” meaning old woman and “moum” meaning grandmother. Old women are normally called mum whether they are really grandmother or not and it is an obligation to kiss the back of their hands while visiting them.

The elders of the family, whether male or female, make most of the decisions at home. The decision-making process is mostly participatory and based on common understanding. In the case of marriages, Wakhis are moderate as the boys and girls decide to whom they should marry. The process is carried out through informed consent of the family, especially with the elders.

The elders sit at the most honorable and reserved place in the traditionally built homes. The man sits on the right side and the woman on the left. Nobody else can take their position no matter whether they are head of state or the wealthiest person. The guests, however, can be offered to sit in their places but it is normally considered a good attitude to let the poup or moum sit in their position and the guest sits beside them. In the same fashion the rest of the house is divided into second, third and so on ages. If a person is really naïve it is said he/ she is so simple that “does not know how to sit or stand”. One needs to be really careful in visiting a Wakhi house to avoid taking somebody’s place. The youngest (no matter how educated or having good social status) gets a place in the “burj” means corner in a fully packed house. Relaxing your feet towards somebody or sitting in a way that somebody is at your back is the rudest act.

Food is normally served at a fixed time and at particular place, called the Neekard in the traditional houses. The sheet that is spread on the floor to put the food on is called “Destorkhon”, which is the same in Dari and Persian. It is generally a clean piece of cloth or plastic sheet and people sit around it. When the food is served every body waits the eldest of in the group to start first and other people follow. One of the people takes a full roti called “Shapeek” and offers it to others to take. In such situation one takes a small piece and thanks the person who offers it. Wakhi eating style is very formal, the host will keep on suggesting taking more. Sometimes when this is done by the host puop the situation gets serious! The puop suggests eating more food and can keep on loading your plate with meat or rice. In this case simply ignoring the offer or rejecting it is unacceptable behavior which is really rude. The young are supposed to keep a speed that they finish later than then elders. One can not stop eating until the elders are finished eating. When a person wants to take water he/ she offers others to take it first. In most of cases it is politely rejected by thanks “Schobosh” or “shukriya”. After the food everyone offers prayers for the host and the family who served them. The puop prayers in Wakhi are, for example “May God fill your house with riches”, May God bless all your family” and a lot or more which will be another topic of my writing.

Wakhi, especially men, like dancing but it is very well developed social activity. If somebody wants to see the hierarchy of age in a family or in a bigger clan one should see the dancing line. The line goes from the eldest to elders and to young children. Everybody in a dancing team should follow the team leader who is the most senior person in steps, body movement and speed. The whole dancing team will salute the eldest in the audience before, during and after the dance which lasts 5 to 10 minutes. To show respect the audience encourages the dancers by clapping. Crossing the elders to take the lead, taking a longer time, breaking the row, deferring the elders’ footsteps or standing at the wrong position is really impolite.

Wakhi people like walking, and the landscape where we come from means that we need to walk. Walking in the Wakhi tradition is really difficult - there are some complexities and formalities related to it. The Wakhi elders usually lead the walking and they keep the same hierarchy while walking in a line. This does not mean that whenever the Wakhi walk they walk in a line, but it has something to do with the landscape. There are a lot of narrow walking tracks spread all over the area so people are compelled to follow narrow windings.

Some people might think these are just symbolic but there are tokens of respect attached to all these rituals. There are no certain criteria by which respect can be measured rather it is day and night. The presence of light is called day while the absence of it is night. The same is the case with this semiotic representation of elders’ respect. --courtesy georgechetwynd.blogspots.com

Clue to kidnapped Afghan found: DPO

CHITRAL: The local police have claimed a clue to the kidnapping of an ex-Afghanistan official here on Wednesday.
Akhtar Kohistani was abducted from Drosh, a town in Chitral, and was taken to Nooristan area of Kunar province in Afghanistan, District Police Officer (DPO) Sher Akbar said.
He said clue to the kidnapping had been traced in Nooristan, adjacent to Chitral district as a brother of Mr Kohistani arrived from Afghanistan and confirmed his presence there.
The DPO said that the motive behind the incident could be some monetary dispute and the abductors were Afghan nationals. A senior official of the police had been sent to the border area of Arsoon for further investigation into the incident, he added.
Twelve armed persons had reportedly abducted the former Afghan official from Chitral on last Sunday.--Zahiruddin

Midwifery school opened in Chitral

CHITRAL: A midwifery school was opened at District Health Development Center Denin under the auspices of Maternity Newborn Child Health (MNCH) program NWFP on Wednesday.
Provincial Minister for Population Welfare Saleem Khan was chief guest on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, Saleem Khan said thE school would be a milestone in decreasing mortality rate in Chitral because majority of pregnant women died during delivery due to unavailability of basic facilities and trained staff.

He said Chief Minister NWFP had specially approved setting up of a Nursing School in Chitral which will be launched next year. He said that there is acute shortage of female technicians and NWFP government was trying its best to recruit more staff to settle this issue. --GH Farooqui

$30 million agreements on Golen Gol hydrpower project signed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) on Tuesday signed two agreements of $ 15 million each for the Golan Gol Hydropower Project in Chitral.
The agreements were signed in Vienna by Mr Shahbaz, Ambassador of Pakistan to Austria, and Suleiman J. Al‑Herbish, Director General of the OFID, on behalf of government of Pakistan and OPEC Fund respectively, said a press release received here on Tuesday. The project, involving US$ 30 million co‑financing from the OFID, is located on the Golan Gol River, a left bank tributary of the Mastuj River.
The powerhouse of the project is located in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) along Chitral‑Booni Road at a distance of about 25 kilometers from Chitral.
The project has an installed capacity of 106 MW (annual energy production: 436 million KWH). Work on the Project is already underway and the OPEC Fund’s financial assistance will be utilised in procurement, installation and testing of transmission line and Grid Stations Extension.
Speaking on the occasion, the Director General OFID Suleiman J. Al‑ Herbish recalled that OFID Pakistan cooperation spanned over more than 30 years now.
He expressed the Fund’s continuing commitment to this cooperation in the coming years. Referring to the global financial turmoil, he stressed that OFID’s decision to sign two loan agreements with Pakistan during these times showed the trust which the Fund had in the resilience of the economy of the country. In his remarks, Ambassador Shahbaz thanked the Director General for OFID’s financial support for a number of projects in Pakistan.
Regarding the Golan Gol Hydropower Project, he underlined its particular importance for Pakistan at a time when the country was faced with imbalance between energy demand and its production capability.
He expressed the hope that the cooperative relationship between Pakistan and the Fund will grow further.
The OFID has been co‑financing, both the public and the private sector, projects in Pakistan. Fifteen of these projects have already been completed.
After the signing of today’s loan agreements, the Fund’s total financial assistance to Pakistan will rise to about US$300 million. Pakistan and the Fund also have an Encouragement and Protection of Investment Agreement which was signed in February 2001.

OFID has also been extending humanitarian assistance to Pakistan at the time of natural disasters as it assisted during the floods in 2007 and disastrous earthquake in 2005. --APP

Advocacy workshop on mother, newborn health begins

CHITRAL: A two-day-long advocacy workshop for health related professionals on maternal, newborn and child health program started here on Monday. The program has been organised by provincial MNCH program supported by UNICEF.
Provincial Minister for Population Welfare Saleem Khan was chief guest on the occasion. Addressing the participants, he said we should fight extremism and terrorism. He said we are facing numerous problems. Majority of pregnant women
are dying during delivery.
He said Chitral is a scattered place and it is not possible to take a pregnant woman to hospital on time from far-off areas. He hailed the services of Aga Khan Health Service for rendering their services where there is no health center on government side.
He asked the health department to fill vacant posts of doctors in Chitral. He said newly recruited doctors should serve for at least three years in the local health department.
He announced that a nursing school will be set up in Chitral next year.
District Nazim Haji Maghfirat Shah said we can minimize our problems with the existing resources if we worked with dedication and honesty.
District Coordination Officer Mutasim Billah Shah said we should play a responsible role to overcome the present crisis. He said the main reason behind development of other nations was that they prioritized their education system.--GH Farooqui

Chitral lawyers observe black day

CHITRAL: Lawyers in Chitral observed a black day and held a protest rally against sacking of the higher judiciary by former president Pervez Musharraf on November 3, 2007.
Led by Khurshid Hussain Mughul Advocate, president Chitral Bar Association, the lawyers took out a rally from the Bar Room and held a protest demonstration in front of the District and Sessions Judge offices.
Leaders of DBA delivered speeches on the occasion. Besides others, Jamaat-i-Islami district chief and activists also joined the protest meeting.
They demanded restoration of the pre-November 3, 2007, judiciary. They warned to continue their protest movement till fulfillment of their demand.
The protest rally later dispersed peacefully.—GH Farooqui

Kidnapped man was a former Afghan official, says DPO Chitral

Report Zulfiqar Ahmad, Islamabad

The Afghan national kidnapped from Chitral by unknown gunmen was actually an ex-adviser of Afghan government, and had gone to visit his in-laws in village Kalkatak, DPO Chitral Sher Akber Khan on Monday told this reporter on the telephone.
Akhtar Kohistani was working as an adviser at the Afghan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, but his tenure expired recently and he was looking for another assignment by the Afghan government, he added.
Unidentified armed men broke into his in-laws' house last night and took him away, he said, adding that after investigation it was concluded by the police that the kidnappers are likely to be non Chitralis as he is having no dispute with his in-laws or any other person in the area.
The police investigation revealed that the Afghan official might be having some disputes with the natives of Kunar province (his hometown) bordering Pakistan, Sher Akbar Khan added.
He said that the kidnappers might have shifted the abductee to Afghanistan as the investigation is unable to find any trace of the official in Chitral and its adjoining areas. Moreover, the motive behind the abduction is not clear yet and further investigations in this regard are underway, the police chief added.

Afghan official kidnapped from Chitral

PESHAWAR: Gunmen have kidnapped an Afghan government official as he was visiting his in-laws in Chitral on Sunday evening, police said Monday.
Akhtar Kohistani, an adviser at the ministry of rural development, was whisked away from Chitral town late Sunday, hours after he arrived to see relatives in Pakistan, local police chief Sher Akbar told AFP.
The abduction was the latest in a series since Afghanistan's ambassador-designate to Pakistan, Abdul Khaliq Farahi, was kidnapped in Pakistan in September.
"Unknown people knocked at his door late Sunday, requesting to meet Kohistani," but as soon as he came out he was bundled into a car and taken away, the officer said.
"We are investigating the incident", which happened in a small village in the Darosh district of Chitral region, bordering the troubled Afghan province of Nuristan, he added.
Police were trying to identify the kidnappers, who could have come from Afghanistan. "He may have been taken to Afghanistan," the officer said.
No group has claimed responsibility and no demand has been received so far, police said.--AFP

Islamabad-Chitral flights opposed

By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL: The PIA authorities have been urged to operate Peshawar-Chitral flight instead of Islamabad-Chitral because majority of the Chitral-bound passengers came from Peshawar.
The residents said that there was no logic of direct flight from Islamabad to Chitral as the number of passengers using the route was very low.
They said that sometimes the flight was even cancelled for lack of passengers and on numerous occasions only three or four passengers traveled on the said flight. They alleged that the authorities of the national airline did not care for the loss the organisation sustained.
The residents contended that thousands of Chitralis settled in Peshawar and a good number of youth went to the provincial capital to seek employment.
They maintained that a fraction of the population could afford to travel by air from the federal capital to Chitral.
They observed that main objective of the flight from Islamabad to Chitral was to boost tourism but that goal was not achieved.--Dawn

Chitral police claim netting notorious drug peddlers

Report Zahiruddin

CHITRAL: Chitral police claim to have nabbed a number of notorious drug pushers and recovered a huge quantity of charas from them.
Station House Officer of the Chitral police station Inspector Mohammad Khalid said on Sunday that thousands of grams of charas was recovered from the possession of four drug-peddlers identified as Mir Ajab, Yahya Khan, Fazle Khuda and others. He said that the campaign would continue till the city was purged of the drug menace which spoils the younger generation.--Dawn

Tehrik-i-Insaf students wing elects office-bearers

President of Tahrik-i-Insaf Chitral chapter Abdul Latif has claimed that the PTI stood for a form of government based on accountability.
Addressing party workers on the occasion of reorganisation of Insaf Students Federation (ISF) here, he said that the party ‘never’ compromised on the basic rights of the people and was ‘struggling’ to rid the people of the excesses of the corrupt politicians.
He said that provision of basic facilities of health and education to the masses was the ‘top’ priority of the PTI. Senior party leaders Mohammad Qasim, Fareedul Haq, and Jinnahuddin also spoke on the occasion.
Those who were elected as office-bearers of the student-wing of the party included Ziaur Rehman president, Faheemullah vice-president, Faheem Mohammad general secretary and Zainuddin finance secretary.-Zahiruddin

Mosaic training programme concludes in Chitral

CHITRAL: A two-month-long mosaic training course concluded at the Community Hall Chitral. Some 27 females from different parts of the district attended the training and learned how to join small pieces of stones, marbles and prepare different decoration pieces.
Tehsil Nazim Chitral Sartaj Ahmad Khan was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion, he stressed on the participants not to waste any opportunity to promote their small business by utilizing their skills. He said women could earn their livelihood without fear and in a respectable way if they continued and promoted the skill learnt during the training.
He said the district government would make efforts to arrange more training programmes to enhance women's skill. He advised them to continue their training on high level and assured them that trainers would be sent to Lahore and other big cities so that after returning to the district they could train more women.
The marble mosaic training workshop for women empowerment through skill development programme was arranged by the Pakistan Stone Development Company in collaboration with Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) Chitral.
Ms Munira thanked the tehsil nazim for arranging and conducting the training course. She demanded to extend the course to at least three months to enhance women's skill.
Khadeeja Sardar said due to unavailability of stone and marble pieces, most of their time was wasted. She called for assuring supply of stone and marble pieces before launching of the next training to save their time.--GH Farooqui

Liquor seized

CHITRAL: The Ayun police arrested a man on the charge of carrying three litres of liquor. The police said on a tip-off they arrested Jay Ardin of Sarojal, Bomborate, who was smuggling the contraband to Chitral.
It is worth mentioning here that local wine (liquor) is openly prepared in three villages of Kalash valley and a majority of Muslims are also involved in its smuggling to Chitral.--GH Farooqui

Preparations for Lowari tunnel festival reviewed again

Report GH Farooqui
CHITRAL: Preparations for celebrating the completion of Lowari rail tunnel were again reviewed in a meeting at the Municipal Public Library here on Saturday.
The meeting presided over by Maulana Abdul Rehman, a former MPA from Chitral, was attended by representatives of different political and religious parties and civil society organzations.
Tehsil Nazim Chitral Sartaj Ahmed Khan asked all the stakeholders to present their suggestions regarding the preparations and a thanks-giving day on the completion of the tunnel.
The majority of the participants suggested that letters should be issued to Pesh Imams of all mosques for offering thanks-giving prayers. They also suggested for paying rich tributes to those components and persons who played vital roles in construction of the Lowari tunnel. It was also decided unanimously to detail a delegation for offering Dua on the graves of Hayat Muhammad Khan Shaheed, the then senior minister of NWFP, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Shaheed, the then premier of Pakistan, and also to meet General (retired) Pervez Musharaf, former president of Pakistan.
It was also proposed to declare a public holiday on completion of the tunnel. They also proposed to arrange seminars at school and college levels to give the message and create awareness among the students regarding the historical background of the tunnel.
It was also decided to issue commendation letters to all those who raised voice for construction of this tunnel to recognize their services and hail their contributions. The meeting also decided to present gifts, according to Chitrali tradition, to the labourers, technicians and technical staff as well as staff of the SAMBU Korean Company to acknowledge their hard work in excavation of the tunnel. They also recommended for hailing the services of Project Director Abdus Samad for keeping keen interest in the project.
Those who spoke on the occasion were Tehsil Nazim Chitral Sartaj Ahmad Khan, Maulana Abdul Rehman, Yousaf Shahzad, Information Officer, Mukhkamuddin press reporter, Bashir Ahmad, political secretary to Provincial Minister for Population Welfare Salim Khan, Mumtaz Khan, President Drivers Union, Haji Nadir Khan, Ameer JUI Chitral, Saifullah Jan, Librarain, and Saifullah, a representative of the Kalash community.

Sit-in staged against delay in Sheshi power house construction

CHITRAL: Thousands of residents staged a sit-in in the Drosh bazaar after Friday prayers to register their protest against the inordinate delay in the completion of Sheshi hydel power house.
Qari Jamal Abdul Nasir, Moulana Musharraf and others said on the occasion that the authorities of small hydel development organisation had to complete the project by the end of 2006 but still it was incomplete. They said residents were facing over 20-hour loadshedding on daily basis.
They resolved to continue the sit-in for indefinite period but later on, the district nazim, Maghfirat Shah, persuaded them to disperse peacefully and defer the protest.--Zahiruddin

Govt warned against price hike

CHITRAL: Members of the district council asked the provincial government to control the increases in the transport fares and prices of basic commodities in Chitral.
In the second day of their session, they expressed concern over skyrocketing prices and fares and criticised the authorities of the district government in this regard.
They said that the fares had been increased manifold by the transporters without the approval of the authority while the government had yet to take a notice of it. They demanded a concrete mechanism to control price hike in Chitral.--Zahiruddin

Postgraduate college still a pipe dream in Chitral

By Zahiruddin

CHITRAL: The upgradation of the government college to postgraduate level remains to be a dream for the students which had been announced four years ago.
The students complained here on Friday that the college had sufficient space to accommodate postgraduate classes in many disciplines. Introduction of postgraduate classes would mitigate the sufferings of the students who had to travel to Peshawar and other cities after their graduation in Chitral.
Students said that the provincial government made a prompt action and allocated funds for construction of additional blocks which included an information technology block. Additional rooms had been completed but shortage of teaching staff and provision of laboratories to cater to the requirements of postgraduate classes was currently the major problems.
Library of the college, they said, also needed upgradation by adding new books while the existing space was also sufficient to accommodate hundreds of students at a time. The students demanded that postgraduate programmes in humanities as well as science groups including computer science, chemistry, botany and environmental science.
They said that about 70 per cent students from Chitral, aspiring for admissions in Peshawar University, returned to back to Chitral after failing to get admission every year. Therefore, a good number of students discontinue their studies after graduation.

Severe food crisis may hit Chitral

By Riaz Khan Daudzai
PESHAWAR: For the first time in the six-decade-long history of the country, Chitral, the area-wise largest district of the NWFP may face a severe food crisis if the government did not supply an additional 6,000 tons of wheat to the district before the end of the year.
Sources in the food department say the district food department has approached the provincial government and sought an additional 6,000 tons of wheat as the demand for the commodity had increased by 40 per cent following the drought soon after the sowing season.
A meeting in Peshawar on Thursday was informed that flour being supplied to the district was very expensive at Rs30 per kg and the local population was not used to it while wheat was less expensive for the local consumers who would grind the indigenous commodity with the imported one. They want wheat in place of flour for which the demand has already increased by 40 per cent.
The officials said initially the district food department had placed a demand of 36,000 tons in response to which it was supplied with 33,000 tons. At present the district has a stock of 23,000 tons which was not sufficient.
The district agriculture department carried out a survey and after that in its annual forecast report on the crop it said the local produce had reduced by 35 to 40 per cent.
The officials said the local production caters to only 40 per cent needs of the population while for the remaining 60 per cent it depends on the supply from the provincial ministry of food. Though no land record is available in the district, yet the ratio may go up to 20:80 as the district was facing drought due to low snowfall. The officials said recently the district had to distribute wheat to its 31 storage centers before the end of the year. They said after December 31, all routes to the valley would be blocked making it hard for the government to supply food items to the district.--The News

SELF HELP: Life On The Wrong Side

Garages and huts are being converted into well-equipped dispensaries run by dedicated locals up north, writes Maureen Lines


Shidi is a wild desolate place, stretching from Gaihiret to Drosh, in the area of Chitral; it is the site of an ancient graveyard and scene of many ambushes. It is a barren area, having few fields which are farmed by Gujas, a semi nomadic people. Although the main road on the other bank of the river provides communication to the towns, on the Shidi side, only a dusty, empty track, running through deserted Afghan refugee camps, gives access to the rare jeep traveller.
Amidst the few corn fields and derelict stone houses is a lock up garage, which has been turned into a dispensary. At fifteen, Shafi, who uses his father’s garage in their summer fields, is quite young to be a dispenser. He is however, excellent in English and is studying to go to university.
The garage is fitted with shelves, bearing medicine bought with funds from the Australian High Commission. The Gujas have dark complexion and their features are different from the local Muslims. Few are educated and they often live in remote areas. These are the people who always fall through the net when it comes to development, either by the government or NGOs.
In the late spring some of them migrate to Nuristan, where the women are often engaged in cheese making while their husbands work as shepherds, or to mountain areas other than the Kalash, as these are forbidden to women who are considered impure in Kalash religion.
Shafi’s elder brother, Ibid, mans a dispensary at Bini Nisar, a small village a few kilometres up river near the entrance to the Kalash valley of Birir. Here the people are locals and better off than the Gujars, but they are still on the ‘wrong’ side of the river and far from any hospital or doctor.
To convert this garage on the jeep track took some doing. A glass front was put in behind the metal gates and shelves fitted. Ibid enjoys his work, even though, it requires a long walk along the jeep track, hugging the cliff above the Chitral river.
From Gaihiret, where both he and Shafi live, they have to cross the suspension bridge built by the British between 1912 and 1927. It is the highest suspension bridge in South East Asia, has a span of 300 feet and is a remarkable feat of engineering.
From Bini Nisar, a jeep track goes to the Kalash valley of Birir. Here the Kalasha people and the Muslims live side by side. Most of them are subsistence farmers. A few own shops, some drive jeeps while others are involved in timber cutting which was illegal in the past. At the moment, a good DFO and forest guards are controlling the cutting, and most of the wood leaving the valleys is dead wood, both for firewood and construction purposes.
A few men work on the road crew, a tiring, dusty and particularly hard job during the summer months. It is a long way to Chitral to see a doctor. Not everyone can afford the journey into town or the doctors’ fees, on top of which is the cost of medicine.
Shamsa Rehman is another dispenser. Back in the days before 9/11, he was a tourist guide. Now married, with two children, he tries to supplement his meagre salary with income he derives from a small grocery shop.
The dispensary is on the edge of the Kalash dancing ground, but its construction is not yet complete. So far it has taken five years with money from the Finns, a small percentage from fund raising activities in Islamabad and from private funds.
The other day, I checked the register as I do on a regular basis. As I picked up the heavy ledger, I was again astounded at how many entries there were. In the three hours in the morning, when the dispensary is operative, nearly 40 people come for medicines. Many of them are sent by the government dispenser, who has never, in the 28 years I have known him, ever had any medicine in his unit.
The register at Shaikhonondai, Rumbur, is also impressive with something like 3,500 entries in the two and a half years it has been open. This dispensary is run by Inayatullah, a young Nuristani. His father is suffering from bone TB and the free medicines provided by the government have had no effect. So he has to take over a thousand rupees from his Rs2,000 salary per month, to keep his father alive.
Shaikhonondai, village of Shaikhs (the converted ones) is the most northerly of all the villages in the Kalash valleys. This is the most remote of the non-government dispensaries. It is only a day’s ride to the Ganglewat Pass into Nuristan, Afghanistan. In 1895, those not wishing to be converted to Islam, escaped from the forced conversion of Abdul Rehman, by fleeing to British territory across the Durand Line. These Nuristanis, who live above eight thousand feet, do farming, keep goats in the high pastures and trade with their countrymen across the border.
It is a two-hour trek down valley to the nearest Kalash village of Balanguru. In winter the track is often impassable with 15 feet snow drifts. Here a bottle of Calpol means the difference between life and death to a child suffering from a fever.
In Balanguru, Daud, a Kalash man, also a former tourist guide, runs the dispensary. Being the only son, it is his duty to also farm his aging parents’ land.
Such circumstances, made worse by an acute ear infection, leading to an operation and some loss of hearing, have prevented Daud, a bright student, from studying at university.
Whatever dreams he may have had, his wife and children and parents keep him very busy. Whenever we meet, he always has a warm cheerful smile.
Converted garages, small shops, and one in the midst of being built (a small garden is also being planned) with able and dedicated dispensers, provide a service which has alleviated suffering and saved many lives.-Dawn

Chitral seminar calls for protection of women's rights

Report GH Farooqui
CHITRAL: A one-day seminar on experience sharing regarding women and human rights was organized here by Easy & Equitable Access to Justice Program Chitral. Tehsil Nazim Chitral Sartaj Ahmad Khan was chief guest on the occasion while the ceremony was presided over by Maulana Khaleequz Zaman, Khateeb Shahi Masjid Chitral.
The workshop started with the recitation from the holy Quran. Niaz Ali Shah, Chairman Board of Directors, Legal Awareness Program for Human Rights (LAPH), briefed the stakeholders about issues, challenges and social status of women in present society. He also briefed the participants regarding women rights on legal point of view.
Dr Saleema Hassan, gynecologist and member Board of Director LAPH, said that often parents expressed their dislike in case of delivery of a daughter which is not justified. She said sons and daughters should equally be treated by their parents because they have equal rights. She called for discouraging marriage of girls in very young age.
The tehsil nazim asked the stakeholders to streamline and frame a joint strategy for protection of women rights by involving of all stake holders including religious scholars and women forums. He said education is the only way for women to participate in development of the country and to save themselves from discrimination and frustration. He stressed upon all stakeholders especially women activists to visit different schools and colleges and educate females on their basic rights. He said awareness campaign is a must for protecting their rights. He said lack of opportunities in employment and unavailability of training and skill development centers for women frustrated them and that is why suicide ratio in women is high in Chitral.
He appealed to all NGOs working in Chitral to start concentrated and integrated work on these issues and convey a message to all women so as to minimize their frustrations and to check suicide rates. He also demanded establishment of a women reporting counter at each police station or at least at subdivision and district level where oppressed and aggrieved women could register their complaints easily and without any hesitation.
Khateeb Shahi Mosque Khaleequz Zaman said Islam gave high status to women and ensured their rights over 1,400 years ago. He said there is no chance of violation of women rights in Islam if it was implemented in its real shape. He said this is black propaganda of western people that Islam and Muslims have besieged women and confined them in their houses. He said the West is exploiting women on the pretext of freedom.
A question-answer session was also held. Chairman BoD Niaz Ali Shah thanked all stakeholders. A large number of males and females representing different women forums participated in the seminar.

Education, developmet in Chitral

Since the inception of Pakistan in 1947 and Chitral State’s joining the federation in 1948, Chitral remained an isolated and impoverished part of the country’s Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP). In political terms, no high profile government functionary either at the provincial or federal level had ever paid a visit to the region. Geographically, it always remained cut off from the rest of the country for six months in a year due to heavy snow on the Lowari Pass, avalanches taking several precious human lives every year. Internally, in the absence of road links, people had to walk for days on pony tracks from their far flung villages to Chitral town to buy the daily necessities for survival.
Economically, people had just survived a famine lasting through the years 1969 to 1971. I can still recall the arrival of the grain which became known to the local population at that time as amricayi, referring to the almost rotten corn stock that had become available to them in quantities, barely enough to survive on. The severity of food shortage was such that a man from a far flung village after waiting several days in Chitral town and failing to buy a few kilograms of barley, corn, wheat, rice or any kind of pulses on which his family could survive, took his life by throwing himself into the freezing Chitral River. I, still remember as a high school student in Chitral town, spending many lunch breaks, after school and on Sundays writing applications for the numerous illiterate villagers to get approval from the Deputy Commissioner’s and Assistant Commissioner’s offices to purchase grain and acquiring the approved amount of grain from the tahsildar, a government functionary responsible at the time for the grain storehouse. As a boarder at the Ismaili Hostel, (which was destroyed by a politically motivated mob in July 1982) I was one of the privileged students to have been provided with accommodation and food.
Educationally, by 1976 a few middle schools located in each tahsil (an administrative unit like a ward or county within a district) had been upgraded to high school (grade ten) but practically it was the high school Chitral town from where most grade ten students graduated. However, the new government, first popularly elected since the creation of Pakistan, had expanded primary education and upgraded some to higher levels and commissioned the Chitral college (grade twelve at that time) now Degree College. Furthermore, the government, for the first time, had established scholarships for students to study in the big urban cities of Pakistan. Female education had yet to be recognized as a priority.
In the area of health, apart from the two hospitals, one in Drosh and the other in Chitral town, and a few dispensaries at the tehsil level, there was hardly any government health facility to my recollection. A vast majority of the population relied on traditional herbal medicines to cure their diseases. Many would seek relief from pain and health recovery in prayers and amulets. One of the consequences of lack of health care facilities was opium addiction of a large number of people who first used it as a pain reliever and then got addicted to it with devastating results for their families; selling off properties to meet the expenses of addiction.

Chitral Today

Apart from the spiritual significance for the Ismaili Muslims in Chitral, the visit of the Imam accompanied by the Prime Minister was symbolic in the sense that it heralded the Ismaili Imamat institutions, which were yet to come to the region, and which would work with those of the government departments to change the deplorable conditions of Chitral as described earlier. This unfolded in many areas of development.
Five years following the visit, the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) was launched in the region, which since then has provided employment opportunities to hundreds of people, men and women, constructed numerous link roads, built irrigation channels bringing vast areas of barren lands with no water at all and lands with insufficient water supply into productive cultivable use, and planting millions of fruit trees and trees for reforestation halting the devastating effect of the deforestation caused by the lucrative profiteers, the loggers legally and illegally. Over the years it has supported numerous villages in building hydro power projects to provide electricity to their houses, and most importantly it has enabled the communities to build their organizational capacity through the development of social organizations, thus unleashing their creative energies to seek solutions to their communities’ problems. Chitral is greener today than one could have imagined in 197, it is producing marketable products such as fruits and potatoes in fairly large quantities, trading them not only within Chitral, but also in Pakistan’s urban centers. AKRSP’s contribution in this regard has been pioneering.
From 1960s to early 1980s, while government resources were directed towards expansion of education for boys, the Aga Khan Education Service (AKES) focused on girls’ education. At the time when the AKES opened its first school for girls in Chitral in early 1980s, there was barely any female literacy and today Chitral is one of the highest female literacy districts in NWFP due to the significant contribution of AKES schools. Currently, it is running 86 schools from grade one to ten with over 6000 students, the largest non-governmental education provider in the district. As a further step, the AKES has started building two high profile higher secondary schools (grade 12) in upper and lower Chitral. The Professional Development Centre in Chitral town, the construction of which is also underway is another significant institutional development to improve the quality of education in Chitral. Over the years, AKES has trained hundreds of its own and of government teachers through its Field-Based Teacher Development Program, improved their language skills through its language Enhancement programs (LEAP and SCIP) and has built many quality school buildings through its self-help school construction program. In all its education endeavors, the AKES has involved the local communities drawing on their strength and improving their capacity to manage their community-based schools.

With no institutional presence in Chitral in 1976, the Aga Khan Health Service has now a network of health centers in far flung villages providing prenatal and postnatal child care. It has established two high quality health facilities with trained doctors, nurses, technicians and modern equipment in purpose built, best quality buildings in lower and upper Chitral. In addition to its numerous primary health care programs, the eradication of centuries old health problem, the goiter, a swelling of the thyroid gland in the neck due to iodine deficiency, is a remarkable achievement. The Aga Khan Planning and Building Service’s achievements in improving the living conditions through innovative and low cost strategies are of no less significance.--Courtesy Hunza Times

Aga Khan's visit still not confirmed

ISLAMABAD: His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan's visit to Chitral and the Northern Areas may not be materialized this year, according to sources in the Ismaili
community at Karachi.
The sources say that if at all postponed, the Aga Khan's visit to Chitral
and the Northern Areas may take place early next year, possibly in March
or April. However, there have not been formal announcements in this
regard and the preparations for the visit are under way in all parts
of the region.

Chitral: the secrets of my peace!

Chitral is delicately balanced between Afghanistan and Swat, in the Hindu Kush mountains. Given this (interesting?) geographical location I had a major internal struggle over whether to go with a colleague, who had invited me to stay with his family over Eid. But both the Foreign Office and VSO said the area is peaceful, so I didn’t give in to fear and boldly went to a place where many other foreigners have been before.

After arriving in Chitral, after a mere 45 minute flight, I had to go to the District Police Office so I could register as a foreigner. After that surprisingly quick process, we started on the journey to Kafiristan – the Kalash valleys. The Kalash valleys are famous because the people there are the only non-Muslims in a large area. They have their own very different religion and traditions, and it is thought that they are descendents from the army of Alexander the Great.

The journey was quite incredible – the mountains were huge, the valleys green, and the road was, well very bumpy, to say the least. I thought I was getting used to mountain roads, but at some points this one was completely gauged out of granite rock – huge tons of rock seemed to be hanging delicately over the road. Plus, we had a normal car rather than one built for such roads, which clattered considerably, so I was rather worried about the state of the tyres.

As we got closer I felt more and more guilty that I was going to gawp at people like they were museum exhibits. But actually when we got there the guy I was with, Asif, had friends there – he seems to have contacts everywhere (used to be a politician!!). So we met his friends, who made tea for us, and then we were shown around the village. Walking around the streets was wonderful. It seemed to an outsider to be a gentle and slow rhythm of life – women were walking around carrying produce, chatting in the streets, kids were playing, and everyone smiled and greeted us.
The women’s clothes were colourful, intricately designed and made, and very beautiful. But it definitely wasn’t a village untouched by modernity - there were adverts for pepsi, and signs basically saying ‘NGO x woz ‘ere’. I really didn’t like that, it was like the NGOs were taking ownership over the village, and saying ‘congratulations to us, we’ve bought these people into the modern world.’ But at the same time I was told about one Kalash woman who had started her own NGO. And the Kalash people obviously hold very closely onto their culture. When women give birth or menstruate they go to a special house where men are not allowed. If a man goes beyond a certain line he has to pay a fine of one goat.

One thing really shocked me – Asif pointed to a particular direction, and said – walk three hours in that direction (admittedly over rather a large mountain), and you get to Afghanistan, Nuristan, and Taliban central. (Behind the mountain in the photo: Afghanistan).



I couldn’t take it in that I was so close to such a dangerous area, yet the Kalash valleys were completely safe and peaceful. I assume that the nature of the villages is very similar in Nuristan and Kafiristan – remote, mountainous, similar crops being grown, life dictated by the seasons. But how can villages so close to each other geographically have people with such a different attitudes to life, cultures and traditions?

In a second village we visited we went to the graveyard which was fairly disturbing, as they used to have open graves (not any more). As much as I tried not to look, I could still see bones in some of the old graves. After Asif met someone else he knew, we started on the long drive back to Chitral, but the excitements of the day were not over. When we got back into mobile phone range I got some texts from VSO saying that Islamabad airport had been closed and all flights suspended due to a bomb scare. It must have happened just after we left. I’m ashamed to say that I had another major panic attack. But I spoke to my parents who have completely changed their tune from saying get on the first flight back to the UK, to saying: oh just enjoy it. So I will, and decided to postpone worrying about how to get back until the time came.

We stayed with Asif’s brother in Chitral. Chitral city is quite conservative – there were no women in the bazaar, so I slightly stood out, even though I had my head covered. Even Ismaili women, who I stayed with, completely covered their face when they went out, and would not venture out without a man, even though in their village they were a lot freer. I was wondering why Chitral is so peaceful given its proximity to Swat, Afghanistan and some tribal agencies. Chitral city itself is mainly Sunni, as it lower Chitral, but upper Chitral is mainly Ismaili. However, there is quite a lot of inter-marriage between the sects. A couple of years ago when there were Taliban incursions into Chitral there were large and peaceful protests. In Dir at the moment, which borders lower Chitral and Afghanistan, the Taliban are making incursions, but citizens are taking matters into their own hands by forming militia. The other week four Taliban were caught in this way. And lists of known Taliban are published and publicly displayed.

The day after Kafiristan we embarked on the six hour journey to Baleem, Asif’s village. Asi kept warning me it was going to be a long and difficult journey, and I thought I was prepared after yesterday. However, we travelled in a local form of transport, so people were packed in like sardines, and several men were on the roof.

I was lucky enough to be in the front seat, but sat next to Asif with barely room to breathe. The journey was stunning though – we could see Terech Mir, the largest mountain in the Hindu Kush range, for a long time which was amazing, especially when the sun was setting. Although Asif had repeatedly told me that Chitral was green (in security terms – it was completely safe), when we got to one village he casually mentioned that this was where Osama Bin Laden’s left hand man was killed, and it was his cousin who killed him over a land dispute. I only managed a weak smile in response to that.

When we got to the village it was 11 o’clock at night, pitch dark and freezing cold. There were no roads in the village, so we had to walk about 20 minutes to reach Asif’s house. When we got there though Asif showed me to his own guest house! I was so tired I went almost immediately to sleep, to the comforting sound of the call of the jackal. --Courtesy Georgechetwynd.blogspots.com

Brep: power house project hits snags

Chitral Today Report

The 50KV power house built on the Grover stream for the
Brep and adjoining villages could not be inaugurated
due to engineering faults and a dispute between the
local residents and an NGO.
The power house constructed on self-help basis by the
local communities under the patronage of AKRSP was scheduled
to be opened on July 11 when it hit snags due to a rift
between the NGO and the local people over distribution of
supply wires.
Later, when this issue was resolved, the water tank of the
power house collapsed due to poor engineering. The people
were told to born the cost of its reconstruction amounting
to Rs1.5 million. As it was impossible for the residents,
the AKRSP has offered to pay half of the cost and asked
the communities to reconstruct it on a self-help
basis.

CM okays uplift projects for Chitral

PESHAWAR: On the special request of NWFP Minister for Population Welfare Saleem Khan, Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has approved various development projects of public welfare for district Chitral.
These projects include establishment of Govt. Girls Degree College Drosh and Civil Dispensary Domail (Arandu), construction of Tehsil Municipal Administration Building Mastuj and Hostel for Girl Degree College Chitral and installation of water filtration plants in eleven Union councils including Chitral-1, Chitral-II, Broz, Drosh, Kuh, Kosht, Khot, Geram Chashma etc.
In a weekly meeting of MPAs with the Chief Minister, Saleem Khan had requested him to specially focus on development project in Chitral under the his directives keeping in view the backwardness of Chitral. On this occasion, the Chief Minister also approved 15 million rupees for special repair works and purchase of equipments in three degree colleges of Chitral including Govt Boys Degree College Chitral, Govt Girls Degree College Chitral and Govt Boys Degree College Booni. It is worth mentioning here that no repair work had been carried out in these colleges for the past eight years. The Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti also approved a Day Care Center in Govt Girls Degree College Chitral for looking after the kids of the female teachers during their duty hours. Saleem Khan on behalf of the people of Chitral has thanked the Chief Minister for taking special interest in the development of Chitral.--APP

Work on Yarkhun bridge begins

Chitral Update Report
ISLAMABAD: Work on the damaged jeepabale bridge connecting the
Yarkhun valley of Chitral with other parts of the district
has been re-stared after about five months.
The bridge was washed away in August 2006, cutting off the
valley of over 40,000 people from the outside world. Since
then the people of the area have been awaiting the
reconstruction of the vital bridge but the government has
failed to complete it even after the lapse of over two
years.
So far work on the Rs7.9 million project has been started
and abandoned three times. Last time, a contractor resumed
work on the directives of the newly-elected MNA and MPA
but after drilling a few bores left the site in May as the
water level increased with the coming of summer. Though
officials say the project would take three to four months
for completion, people of the area are still not sure
whether the bridge would be reconstructed even by next
summer.

NBF readers' club scheme coming to Chitral

National Book Foundation (NBF) will launch Readers Club Scheme in more cities including Chitral on October 28. NBF Managing Director Javed Akhter would inaugurate the scheme, said a press release issued in Islamabad on Friday.
NBF has extended working range of Readers Club Scheme due to its popularity and the scheme has been extended from 37 to 52 cities across the country.

These cities include Sibbi, Khuzdar, Lorala, Dera Murad Jamali, Turbat, Nawabshah, Dado, Khushab, Burewala, Dera Ismail Khan, Chitral, Kohat, Swat, Mirpur Khas and Muzaffarabad.

The membership of readers club has also been increased from 15,000 to 20,000.

The foundation has made arrangements to facilitate people who wanted to get membership particularly for old people, women and children.

The members of the scheme can purchase any book of their interest other than curriculum on half rate from those booksellers who are on the panel of NBF.

At the time of its beginning in 1984, Readers Club Scheme was limited to only three big cities including Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi but now it has been extended almost every corner of the country to promote book reading culture. Private sector should also collaborate with government to induce reading habits among people. --APP

Met official killed in Chitral

Chitral Update Report
CHITRAL: An official of the meteorological department in Chitral
was killed over a petty dispute, police said on Thursday.
The police said the accused identified as Hazrat Nabi entered the
office at night, gave the staff some milk mixed with tranquilizer
and then shot dead Mohammad Abid, a senior observer at the
Met office.
The police took into custody the accused who later confessed to
the crime. The police also recovered the weapon used by the
accused in the crime. According to the police, a few days
back the deceased and the accused had exchanged harsh words
over some issue. Earlier too, the accused had attacked on the
official.

Eliminating women trafficking our collective responsibility

THE recent incident in Chitral in which a mob got hold of a local man, beat him up, blackened his face and then paraded him in the bazaar on charge of women trafficking indicates that the inhuman activity is still deep rooted in the valley with local collaborators working against the norms and traditions of society.
Equally perturbing is the locals' reaction who took the law into their own hands and tried to vent their anger at the culprit - a la Taliban style.
We believe that there are no quick fixes to the menace which has become an eyesore for the people of the valley wherever they live besides bringing a bad name for Chitral as a whole.
Apart from socio-economic factors, lack of awareness has been the main reason why our people so quickly fall prey to the unscrupulous elements coming from many parts of the country especially Punjab. Historically, people of Chitral have lived an almost secluded life well protected from outside interferences due mainly to the geographical limitations and topographical characteristics of the valley. However, with the abrupt opening up of the valley due to revolution in communication facilities, people of Chitral now find themselves unprepared to cope with the challenges of the outside world. With the new era of communication opening-up, gangs of criminals operating in other parts of the country have also started moving to the countryside to achieve their designs. The situation would definitely become more challenging in the coming days with the construction of the Lowari tunnel completes.
What should be our collective strategy to eliminate the ills like women trafficking from our society and protect our unique culture, language and traditions. Should blackening the face of a culprit like Mahmoor would be enough to uproot the gangs involved in maligning our good name. Certainly not. There may be tens, if not hundreds, of Mahmoors who are out to tarnish the image of Chitral for the sake of a few thousands rupees. We should not even put the onus wholly on the government to safeguard our values.
There should be short- as well as long-term measures including proper legislation to check the practice of giving daughters in marriage to outside strangers without proper identity checks.
However, the need to create awareness among the public should be given top most priority, so that they can differentiate between what is good and what is bad for them as a nation. In this regard, special responsibility rests on the shoulders of the educated class, religious leaders and the media to play their due role in safeguarding the interests of Chitral in the fast-changing world.--Zar Alam Khan

Face of man accused of women trafficking blackened in Chitral

People belonging to all walks of life in Chitral
have demanded stern action against a resident of Bakarabad
for his alleged involvement in women trafficking.
The local people also alleged that Mhmoor had been
selling innocent girls aged between 13 and 18 years
to old aged people from down districts after getting
huge amount from them under the pretext of arranging
marriages.
The local residents and workers of Anjuman Dawat Azeemat
beat him up and blackened his face and paraded him in
the bazaar. He was later handed over to police who
registered an FIR against him under the charge of
women trafficking.
The police also lodged a cross-FIR on the complaint of
the accused and arrested two members of Dawat Azeemat
for attacking him.
As a result, hundreds of students of different colleges,
members of the said NGO and trade unions protested
against the arrest of the two members of the NGO who
were produced in a civil court in presence of hundreds
of students.
The angry protesters also chanted slogans against police
and demanded action against the administration and
transfer of the DPO. The police refused to provide
any comments on the issue.--GH Farooqui

Drosh residents protest power outages

CHITRAL: Residents of Drosh have been staging a sit-in protest at main Peshawar-Chitral road against the ongoing unscheduled loadshedding and slow work on Sheshi Power house that is under construction for the last three years.
The Sheshi Power Project (SPP) is being constructed by Sarhad Hydro Development Organization (SHYDO).
The angry protesters led by Qari Jamal Abdul Nasir comprising representatives of political parties and councillors are participating in the protest.
Talking to this scribe, Qari Jamal Nasir said our protest will continue and the number of protesters would increase day by day.
They demanded early completion of Sheshi Power House to resolve the problem of power supply to Drosh area. It may be mentioned that there was a small hydropower house of 300 KV at Drosh constructed by SHYDO, but it was closed last year due to absence of proper maintenace.
While on the other hand, electricity supply from national grid has not been regular and consumers of Drosh are badly suffering.--GH Farooqui

Rumi’s thoughts can bring stability to world

ISLAMABAD: There is a dire need to spread the thoughts of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi in order to bring stability not only to the country but also to the whole world.
This was stated by speakers at a function held in connection with the birth anniversary of Mawalana Rumi under the aegis of Rumi Forum here on Wednesday.
Those who spoke on the occasion included Azerbaijan’s Ambassador Dr Eynullah Madatli, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Religious Affairs Allama Hamid Saeed Kazmi; Naveed Zafar, Talat Farooq from the Bahria University; Dr Naeem Mushtaq, Dr Seema Arif from the University of Central Punjab; Dr Ghazala Mehdi from Quaid-i-Azam University and Ahsan Akbar.
The speakers read their papers on the thoughts of Rumi and highlighted his teachings. They said intellectuals from any religion got benefits from his Mathnawi but those who understand Islam always gained spiritual blessings from it.
“Rumi is a symbol figure for worldwide love, tolerance and dialogue. The name of Rumi stands for love and ecstatic flight into the infinite. If there is any general idea underlying his poetry, it is the absolute love of Allah.”
His influence on thought, literature and all forms of aesthetic expression in the world of Islam cannot be overrated. He is one of the great spiritual masters and poetical geniuses of mankind and is the founder of the Mawlawi Sufi order, a leading Sufi brotherhood of Islam.”
Rumi was born in Balkh on September 30, 1207, to a family of learned theologians. Escaping the Mongol invasion and destruction, Rumi and his family travelled extensively in the Muslim world, performed pilgrimage at Mecca and finally settled in Konya, Anatolia, which was part of the Seljuk rule.
When his father Sultanul Ulema Bahauddin Walad passed away, Rumi succeeded him in 1231 as professor of religious sciences. The 24-year-old Rumi was by then an accomplished scholar in religious and positive sciences.
He was introduced into the Sufi path by a wandering dervish, Shamsuddin Tabriz. His love and his bereavement for the death of Shams found their expression in a surge of music, Sema and lyric poems called Divani Shamsi Tabrizi.
Human being in the Sema is part of the inspiration of Rumi as well as of Turkish custom, history, beliefs and culture. Sema consists of seven parts.
Rumi is the author of six-volume didactic epic work, the Mathnai called ecstatically as the holy book in Persian by Jami. It discourses “Fihi ma fihi” written to introduce his disciples into metaphysics.
Rumi form is established with the sublime mission to foster intercultural dialogue and to provide a platform for education and information exchange. The Forum takes its name from the 13th century Muslim scholar-luminary-Sufi poet whose reach embraced all humanity as personified by his message that was drawn from the very essence of Islam.--Dawn

Aga Khan's visit to Chitral - Letter 2

Can you please tell me what are the dates for this visit?
I would really like to be present on this auspicous occasion.
Thanking you in advance, and Golden Jubilee Mubaraki!!

Layla Dharsee

Aga Khan's visit to Chitral -Letter 1

Thank you for posting information regarding Aga Khan's visit to Chitral. We have heard that the Aga Khan will visit Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan from the 28th of October to the 6th of November, 2008. Is he vising Chitral after the 15th November? I would appreciate if you have any further news regarding the visit.

Regards,

Mohamed
via email

Lowari tunnel opening to be a gigantic step, says NHA

ISLAMABAD: Excavation work on Lowari Rail Tunnel is expected to be completed by December this year. The opening of the tunnel for general public will be a
gigantic step for the people of Chitral and Northern Areas and the project
would be important for linking Pakistan with Central Asia.
This was stated by Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) Altaf Ahmed
Chaudhry in a presentation to secretary communication Sharif Ahmed. The
secretary communication visited NHA head office on Tuesday. Lowari tunnel
is also important for strategic reasons as Chitral will not remain cut
off from the rest of the country during winter.
The NHA chairman said the project of Lakpass tunnel in Baluchistan province was completed and would be opened for traffic in January 2009. The secretary was informed that the work on the Southern part of Lyari Expressway had already been completed and opened for traffic while the northern part would be completed as soon as the encroachments were removed from the area.

Arrangements for Lowari festival reviewed

A high-level meeting at the Governor Cottage in Chitral, chaired by District Nazim Haji Maghfirat Shah, discussed arrangements being made for a festival to coincide with the completion of Lowari tunnel this year.
The meeting was participated by leaders of all political and religious leaders, representatives of non-government organizations, civil society and different bodies like trade unions, drivers union, etc. The stakeholders discussed different views regarding preparation for celebration of a thanks-giving day and the festival.
They proposed to appreciate efforts of all those who played their role in construction of the Lowari tunnel.
A committee was also formed under the chair of Tehsil Nazim Chitral Sartaj Ahmad Khan to arrange and make preparations for celebrating the day in a befitting manner. The stakeholders also proposed offering Nawafal Shukrana in different mosques and public places and to go to the tunnel in a procession. They stressed upon all the members to celebrate this day and festival as well as distribute free food among the poor people irrespectively of their political affiliation.
They suggested to celebrate this day at the subdivision Mastuj and Chitral as well as at each tehsil and union council levels. They stressed upon all stakeholders to celebrate this festival as a nation and to not politicize it. Some participants also opposed the proposed gazette holiday announcement and stressed on hard work for development of Chitral.
AKHS offered a helicopter service for the VVIP arrival and movement. They also demanded proper documentation and preparation of a book on post- and pro-Lowari scenario and to mention names of all heroes whose efforts materilazed this long-awaited demand of Chitral people.
The participants also expressed their concern over the likely demographic changes in the valley after completion of the Lowari tunnel which will affect the local language, culture and tradition.
They said after completion of Lowari tunnel more opportunities of development will be available in Chitral. The stakeholders said this was a moment of pleasure for the people of Chitral because thousands of Chitralis had lost their lives while crossing the lowari top.--GH Farooqui

Widow's allegations denied

Report GH Farooqui, Chitral

A family in Chitral has denied allegations that they have occupied the land of a widow in Jinjirat area.
Addressing a press conference at their residence, Ubaidullah Qureshi, Ahmad Buzurg, Qawarullah and others said the allegations of the widow of Akhunzada Rahmatullah that they had occupied her land were basesless. They claimed that the late husband of the woman had sold the land to their grandfather in 1963 and received the cost. They said they had all relevant documents as a proof that the land was their's. They also denied the allegations that they had beaten and torn the clothes of the woman.
"After purchasing the land from her husband, the land has been in our possession but we allowed the widow to live in the house sold by her husband on humanitarian grounds besides reserving a piece of land for her for cultivation purpose. But an outsider, Haji Sultan, has also purchased land from Qazi Niamatullay, the brother of Akhunzada Rahmatullah and settled in the area," they added.
They also alleged that Sultan had declared the widow as his mother and was
provoking her to harass them in order to get more land from her.
It may be mentioned that the widow had held a press conference recently and
accused the Qureshi family of occupying her land.
Meanwhile, Tehsil Nazim Chitral Sartaj Ahmad Khan said he was trying to
settle the dispute amicably.