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.