Chitral Update Report
Asalam Alaikum, and very happy Eid to all of you.
The wishy-washy attitude of the Ruet Hilal Committee in announcing the sighting or otherwise of the Shawal moon not only puzzled the people in urban areas but also put those in rural areas in a quandary on Tuesday night.
The committee at its meeting in Karachi remained without any decision till about
10.45pm when it announced that the Shawal moon had been sighted and Eidul Fitr would be observed on Wednesday.
The decision came after the senior NWFP minister Bashir Bilour had gone to the provincial Ruet body meeting in Peshawar to announce that Eid would be celebrated
in the province on Wednesday.
People criticised the central Ruet Hilal Committee for its inability to decide the sighting of the moon on time. By the time the announcement came, most of the people in remote areas of Chitral would have slept and they would come to know about the Eid on Wednesday morning.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Leaseing of resources to outsiders slammed
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
The local people have complained that the government had leased out mineral resources to non-locals on nominal rates.
Talking to this scribe here on Tuesday, they said that the Sarhad Development Authority (SDA) high-ups had done nothing to exploit the mineral resources which had the potential to provide employment to thousands of people and make the country prosperous.
They alleged that the lease of the mineral in various mountains, meadows, riverbeds and streams were given on lease by the SDA allegedly not in a transparent way and the terms of reference of the lease deed was not implemented. They said that there were scores of leaseholders who had yet to start work on the sites to dig out the minerals despite the lapse of years.
Syed Muzaffar Ali Shah, district president ANP, said that most of the leaseholders waited for a chance to sublet the lease to another party and earn hefty amount of money. He said that in some instances, the lease of a certain site had been further sublet for the third or fourth time.
He said that during the days of the former princely state, Chitral, forests, pastures and riverbeds beds were generally public properties and every one had got equal opportunity to utilise them for their benefit. Expressing regret, he said that the government leased out certain riverbeds beds along the Chitral river without the consent of the local population. The ANP apprehended disastrous effects of it on the local people who largely depended on the natural resources as non-local leaseholder would completely dislodge them.
Mr Shah said that a large chunk of mountain stretching over a length of more than ten kilometres had been leased out to a single person in many cases. The balance of biodiversity would be destroyed if explosion were carried out in the mountains.
Citing example of Gahirait Gol, he said that the Kashmir markhor had fled the area due to the ongoing mining work to explore minerals. He said that many villages covered by the mountains would be washed away as the mining activity would act as a catalyst to cause mud-flood and rock sliding.
He alleged that the SDA high-ups leased out minerals without carrying out topography and implications of mining activities. The residents of Chitral have emphatically demanded that the lease agreements must be cancelled on which work had not been started for over two years. They also demanded that those agreements should also be annulled which caused environmental degradation or directly affect the local population.
The local people have complained that the government had leased out mineral resources to non-locals on nominal rates.
Talking to this scribe here on Tuesday, they said that the Sarhad Development Authority (SDA) high-ups had done nothing to exploit the mineral resources which had the potential to provide employment to thousands of people and make the country prosperous.
They alleged that the lease of the mineral in various mountains, meadows, riverbeds and streams were given on lease by the SDA allegedly not in a transparent way and the terms of reference of the lease deed was not implemented. They said that there were scores of leaseholders who had yet to start work on the sites to dig out the minerals despite the lapse of years.
Syed Muzaffar Ali Shah, district president ANP, said that most of the leaseholders waited for a chance to sublet the lease to another party and earn hefty amount of money. He said that in some instances, the lease of a certain site had been further sublet for the third or fourth time.
He said that during the days of the former princely state, Chitral, forests, pastures and riverbeds beds were generally public properties and every one had got equal opportunity to utilise them for their benefit. Expressing regret, he said that the government leased out certain riverbeds beds along the Chitral river without the consent of the local population. The ANP apprehended disastrous effects of it on the local people who largely depended on the natural resources as non-local leaseholder would completely dislodge them.
Mr Shah said that a large chunk of mountain stretching over a length of more than ten kilometres had been leased out to a single person in many cases. The balance of biodiversity would be destroyed if explosion were carried out in the mountains.
Citing example of Gahirait Gol, he said that the Kashmir markhor had fled the area due to the ongoing mining work to explore minerals. He said that many villages covered by the mountains would be washed away as the mining activity would act as a catalyst to cause mud-flood and rock sliding.
He alleged that the SDA high-ups leased out minerals without carrying out topography and implications of mining activities. The residents of Chitral have emphatically demanded that the lease agreements must be cancelled on which work had not been started for over two years. They also demanded that those agreements should also be annulled which caused environmental degradation or directly affect the local population.
Transparency in zakat card distribution stressed
The district nazim Chitral has said that the process of distribution of Baitul Maal cards must be transparent so that deserved persons could take benefit.
Presiding over a periodical meeting of the Pakistan Baitul Maal here on Tuesday, he ordered to install the lists of the recipients of the stipend in the mosques and other public places throughout the district. DCO Chitral Mutasim Billah Shah also attended the meeting.
It was decided that the local police would be used to paste the lists on the public places. It was decided to work out on a comprehensive plan to verify the lists of the recipients of the stipends of the organisation.
Presiding over a periodical meeting of the Pakistan Baitul Maal here on Tuesday, he ordered to install the lists of the recipients of the stipend in the mosques and other public places throughout the district. DCO Chitral Mutasim Billah Shah also attended the meeting.
It was decided that the local police would be used to paste the lists on the public places. It was decided to work out on a comprehensive plan to verify the lists of the recipients of the stipends of the organisation.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Tributes paid to martyred policemen
CHITRAL: District Police Officer Sher Akbar has said the police department
is proud of itspersonnel who sacrificed their lives while fighting anti-social
elements and terrorists.
Speaking at an Iftar party arranged for family members of slain policemen
at Police Lines here on Sunday, he said the department had taken a
number of measures for amelioration of dependents of the deceased
personnel, which included payment of salary up to the age of 60,
recruitment of their sons in the police force and allotment of plot in
the Regi Lalma township.
The DPO said he had recommended to the high-ups to name the Garam
Chashma police station after Amanullah, who had lost his life recently
in Swat. On this occasion, he distributed Eid gifts among the
heirs.--Zahiruddin
is proud of itspersonnel who sacrificed their lives while fighting anti-social
elements and terrorists.
Speaking at an Iftar party arranged for family members of slain policemen
at Police Lines here on Sunday, he said the department had taken a
number of measures for amelioration of dependents of the deceased
personnel, which included payment of salary up to the age of 60,
recruitment of their sons in the police force and allotment of plot in
the Regi Lalma township.
The DPO said he had recommended to the high-ups to name the Garam
Chashma police station after Amanullah, who had lost his life recently
in Swat. On this occasion, he distributed Eid gifts among the
heirs.--Zahiruddin
Hiring of outsiders as grain supervisors opposed
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
District Nazim Chitral Maghfirat Shah has expressed anguish over appointment of non-local people against vacant posts of food grain supervisor in the food department and termed it a joke with the people of Chitral.
Talking to journalists here on Monday, he alleged that the provincial government had ignored local candidates with higher qualifications.
He said non-locals could not discharge their duties in far-flung areas of the district where grain godowns of the departments were situated.
He called upon the government to cancel forthwith the appointment of non-local people against lower posts in the district and advertise the posts afresh for locals only.
District Nazim Chitral Maghfirat Shah has expressed anguish over appointment of non-local people against vacant posts of food grain supervisor in the food department and termed it a joke with the people of Chitral.
Talking to journalists here on Monday, he alleged that the provincial government had ignored local candidates with higher qualifications.
He said non-locals could not discharge their duties in far-flung areas of the district where grain godowns of the departments were situated.
He called upon the government to cancel forthwith the appointment of non-local people against lower posts in the district and advertise the posts afresh for locals only.
Most schools in Chitral without science teachers
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
CHITRAL: More than 30 of 52 government high schools in the district conduct no science classes at the secondary level because of shortage of science teachers.
Sources said science laboratories had been established in all schools and necessary apparatus, chemicals and other paraphernalia had been provided by the government.
They said the stock of science laboratories was refreshed every year, but no effort had been made to appoint science teachers in the schools. They said science classes could not be started only for want of science teachers in the schools.
Parents of students have complained that successive governments in the past have failed to ensure introduction of science classes in the schools despite their repeated requests. They said the situation was more disturbing in the sector of female education, because they could not travel long distances seeking science classes.
They said that in private schools, science classes had been started in almost every village but their monthly tuition fee was beyond the reach of everyone. They said only a few people could afford sending their children to private schools.
A student from upper Chitral said he had to travel about 23 kilometres every day on foot to reach his school in another village because science subjects were not taught in his nearest high school.
The parents complained that the new academic year had started in government schools and another year of their children would be wasted because recruitment of science teachers was not possible in a short time.
They demanded that high schools’ managements should be authorised to appoint science teachers from their own funds.
CHITRAL: More than 30 of 52 government high schools in the district conduct no science classes at the secondary level because of shortage of science teachers.
Sources said science laboratories had been established in all schools and necessary apparatus, chemicals and other paraphernalia had been provided by the government.
They said the stock of science laboratories was refreshed every year, but no effort had been made to appoint science teachers in the schools. They said science classes could not be started only for want of science teachers in the schools.
Parents of students have complained that successive governments in the past have failed to ensure introduction of science classes in the schools despite their repeated requests. They said the situation was more disturbing in the sector of female education, because they could not travel long distances seeking science classes.
They said that in private schools, science classes had been started in almost every village but their monthly tuition fee was beyond the reach of everyone. They said only a few people could afford sending their children to private schools.
A student from upper Chitral said he had to travel about 23 kilometres every day on foot to reach his school in another village because science subjects were not taught in his nearest high school.
The parents complained that the new academic year had started in government schools and another year of their children would be wasted because recruitment of science teachers was not possible in a short time.
They demanded that high schools’ managements should be authorised to appoint science teachers from their own funds.
Boy killed, mother injured in accident
Chitral Update Report
A minor boy was killed and his mother injured when a jeep they were travelling in plunged into a river due to collapse of a bridge at Golen, about 40km north of Chitral town on Sunday.
Police said the wife of Mohammad Ibrahim, a resident of Ragh, who works as a school teacher at a primary school in Golen area was coming home at the weekend taking her four-year-old son in a jeep. When the jeep reached the bridge, it collapsed and they fell into the river. The body of the boy has still not been retrieved. The woman and the jeep driver, Mohammad Diyar, sustained injuries and were taken to hospital.
A minor boy was killed and his mother injured when a jeep they were travelling in plunged into a river due to collapse of a bridge at Golen, about 40km north of Chitral town on Sunday.
Police said the wife of Mohammad Ibrahim, a resident of Ragh, who works as a school teacher at a primary school in Golen area was coming home at the weekend taking her four-year-old son in a jeep. When the jeep reached the bridge, it collapsed and they fell into the river. The body of the boy has still not been retrieved. The woman and the jeep driver, Mohammad Diyar, sustained injuries and were taken to hospital.
PTCL phones partially restored
Chitral Update Report
After about three weeks, telephone service in major part of Mastuj
tehsil was partially restored on Sunday.
The phones of PTCL, both landline and the wireless local loop, had
gone dead due to fault in its system at Mastuj.
Meanwhile, according to our correspondent Bashir Hussain Azad in
Chitral, the service of Telenor has deteriorated in the town making
the subscribers suffer a great deal of hardship in connecting to
the media most of the time.
The subscribers have called upon the company to improve its
service before extanding the network to far-off areas of the
district.
The Telenor company is scheduled to inaugurate its network in
the Yarkhun valley on Eidul Fitr.
After about three weeks, telephone service in major part of Mastuj
tehsil was partially restored on Sunday.
The phones of PTCL, both landline and the wireless local loop, had
gone dead due to fault in its system at Mastuj.
Meanwhile, according to our correspondent Bashir Hussain Azad in
Chitral, the service of Telenor has deteriorated in the town making
the subscribers suffer a great deal of hardship in connecting to
the media most of the time.
The subscribers have called upon the company to improve its
service before extanding the network to far-off areas of the
district.
The Telenor company is scheduled to inaugurate its network in
the Yarkhun valley on Eidul Fitr.
TOURISM IN THE DOLDRUMS
AS recently as the late nineties, it was a rare summer day when you didn’t run into a western tourist, usually of the backpacking kind, in the more accessible parts of northern and north-western Pakistan. The Kaghan valley, Swat, Hunza and Skardu, among other picturesque settings, seemed to be favoured destinations and the coach from Timergarah in Dir to Chitral via Lowari Top carried a foreign contingent more often than not. All that changed in the aftermath of 9/11, but until a few years ago these areas still saw the more adventurous sort of foreign visitor. Now that flow has been choked to the faintest of trickles and in many an area no foreigner dares to tread. Even more alarmingly for the tourism industry, this fear is shared by many Pakistanis and the number of domestic tourists has also plummeted.
This is not surprising given the murderous events of recent years. Venturing into areas wracked by militancy means courting disaster at every turn, and few are willing to take such risks. The Swat valley, once a favourite haunt of Pakistani tourists and where locals now fear for their lives, has suffered grievously as a result. The enterprising people of Swat have long been dependent on tourism and businesses related to the industry — hotels, motels, eateries, gift shops and retail outlets, rent-a-car firms, trout farms, etc — have been dealt a crippling blow by the ongoing insurgency. It was estimated last year that some 12,000 Swatis and their families were directly dependent on the hospitality industry. Financially, they were already in dire straits in the summer of 2007. Their plight now doesn’t bear contemplation.
According to the tourism ministry, 2008 has seen a four per cent drop in foreign ‘tourists’. This may not be a staggering figure but it is most likely misleading because the FIA and immigration authorities do not distinguish between tourists and foreigners here on business. Nearly 558,000 foreigners had visited Pakistan by the end of August but the total surely included businessmen, NGO workers and officials of other international organisations, and possibly even diplomats. It is safe to say that genuine tourists were in a small minority on this fairly short list. The situation, unfortunately, is not going to improve anytime soon for the fight against militancy, despite some recent gains, is far from over and the scars could take even longer to heal. World Tourism Day, which was observed on Saturday, held little meaning for Pakistan.--Dawn
This is not surprising given the murderous events of recent years. Venturing into areas wracked by militancy means courting disaster at every turn, and few are willing to take such risks. The Swat valley, once a favourite haunt of Pakistani tourists and where locals now fear for their lives, has suffered grievously as a result. The enterprising people of Swat have long been dependent on tourism and businesses related to the industry — hotels, motels, eateries, gift shops and retail outlets, rent-a-car firms, trout farms, etc — have been dealt a crippling blow by the ongoing insurgency. It was estimated last year that some 12,000 Swatis and their families were directly dependent on the hospitality industry. Financially, they were already in dire straits in the summer of 2007. Their plight now doesn’t bear contemplation.
According to the tourism ministry, 2008 has seen a four per cent drop in foreign ‘tourists’. This may not be a staggering figure but it is most likely misleading because the FIA and immigration authorities do not distinguish between tourists and foreigners here on business. Nearly 558,000 foreigners had visited Pakistan by the end of August but the total surely included businessmen, NGO workers and officials of other international organisations, and possibly even diplomats. It is safe to say that genuine tourists were in a small minority on this fairly short list. The situation, unfortunately, is not going to improve anytime soon for the fight against militancy, despite some recent gains, is far from over and the scars could take even longer to heal. World Tourism Day, which was observed on Saturday, held little meaning for Pakistan.--Dawn
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Road to Yarkhun valley reopens after five months
ISLAMABAD: Traffic to the landlocked valley of Yarkhun in the Chitral district was restored after about five months when the local residents constructed a suspension bridge over the river on a self-help basis on Saturday, residents of the area told this correspondent.
The valley remains cut-off from rest of the district from April to October since 2006 when the only jeepable bridge over the Yarkhun River near Dizg village was washed away. With the decrease in the volume of water in the river in winter, people of the area build a temporary bridge to link the over 100km long valley of about 40,000 people with other parts of the district.
The project to rebuild the destroyed bridge has been kept in the cold storage for the last over two-and-half years. Work on the project was initiated twice but abandoned within a couple of months each time.
When contacted, MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin said funds for the Rs7.9 million project had been released by the provincial government and work at the site would be started soon.
The valley remains cut-off from rest of the district from April to October since 2006 when the only jeepable bridge over the Yarkhun River near Dizg village was washed away. With the decrease in the volume of water in the river in winter, people of the area build a temporary bridge to link the over 100km long valley of about 40,000 people with other parts of the district.
The project to rebuild the destroyed bridge has been kept in the cold storage for the last over two-and-half years. Work on the project was initiated twice but abandoned within a couple of months each time.
When contacted, MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin said funds for the Rs7.9 million project had been released by the provincial government and work at the site would be started soon.
Hotel Haut Monde
By Anjum Niaz
Revisiting the Marriott and going down nostalgia corridors held an anticipative promise of bygone memories. Under this roof, over these floors, along these life-sized glass windows, lay buried years of history.
Saturdays in Islamabad are slow. The roads wear a deserted look. Despite the media hype of President Zardari’s address to the parliament later that afternoon, life around the capital dozed off. It was a good day to be out.
The September sun was benign. Spending ‘quality time’ at Marriott, the haunt of our haut mondes or high society, sounded fun.
Revisiting the Crystal Ballroom and going down nostalgia corridors held an anticipative promise of bygone memories. Under this roof, over these floors, along these life-sized glass windows lay buried years of history — as old as Islamabad gets. It was the gathering place of our political, social and business glitterati; it was the centre of our universe. I was journeying through its galaxies after a lapse of ten years. And I was excited.
At the barrier, the sniffer dog looked disinterested. One hoped his handlers fed and cared for him. Our society is not humane towards animals. The two guards mechanically examining the rear and front of our car raised the rod to let us in. We parked on the side and walked towards the entrance. I noticed a flurry of activity. Something was afoot. The forklift in the hotel’s front was lifting concrete planters, pedestaling them higher on makeshift cemented blocks. They looked kind of shoddy. Soon the life-sized glass windows got screened by a wall of green shield, hiding what lay inside. Was it a re-fortification against some crazy suicide bomber wanting to ram into the windows? The thought crossed my mind, but I let it pass as I was greeted by that unusually tall turbaned man wearing a red sherwani graciously opening the front door for me. He was an institution. He was Marriott’s mascot. Is he dead or alive?
Inside the lobby, young women in black business-suits ushered us in with welcoming smiles. Are they dead or alive? They looked particularly happy to see us. I wonder why. Sadruddin Hashwani, known to all as ‘Sadru’ owns the hotel. He lives atop the best hill in Islamabad which he bought from the heirs of President Ayub Khan. From Sadru’s hill, one gets the frontal view of his property nestling below. Perchance, he must have caught sight of the inferno swallowing his beloved hotel even before his phone rang. The pain of loss watching his empire go up in flames was amply visible on his furrowed face.
It was around lunchtime. The Nadia coffee shop, which must have undergone at least ten makeovers since the days one sat, drank coffee and saw the world spin around with piped music playing, was deserted. It was Ramazan. A few foreigners sat eating. The lobby across was lonely. No check-ins or check-outs stirred. The only activity worth noting was a Saudi gentleman, appearing to rant while the booking clerks looked on. I wondered what the fellow was griping about. Is he alive or dead?
Right in the centre of the hall stood a huge flower arrangement. The white lilies were so big that I needed a pinch test. Yes, they were real, smiled the man watering the bouquet. The giant sized plants also looked too good to be true. I needed a reality check this time because life itself looked too good to be real! The shopping arcade was silent this Saturday. But alongside the bakery, banging and nailing on the ceiling was going on.
I edged towards the mouth dripping showcased goodies. Some foreign women were confectionary shopping. They appeared taking their time picking delicacies ensconced in beguiling doilies. An ornamental doily, even the tiniest mat made of paper, is the crispiest thing to behold. Especially when it holds the best cake, baklava, danish, éclair, flan, tart, or a cream puff . Sadru’s bakery was swell. There were huge dates waiting to be devoured. Jars of special honey and jams seemed to be saying, ‘come buy me, honey!’
I made a mental note to ‘treat’ myself the next time I felt low. But that may never come to pass, at least not for some time.
The barber hung around in his parlour. Not many customers this Saturday; except for one, a jiyala, perhaps. Addressing the barber to do a good job, he duly informed all, “I’m an MNA. I am going to the parliament to hear President Zardari’s “epoch-making” speech. So, make sure you give me a smart haircut.” Someone around quipped “God help us!” Laughter broke out. One still doesn’t know who the jibe was meant for.
I moved on to the mauve-coloured chairs with bamboo decor. The tempura bar fascinated me, the colour scheme thrilled me. Gingerly I peered inside. A man vacuuming the floor beckoned “Come in. We’re getting ready for the evening. It’s very busy then.” Impressed by what met my eyes, once more I added ‘must come here’ to my memory list. “We have many more fancy restaurants here. There’s the Lebanese, the Chinese and the American steak house,” he said with a sense of ownership. “We have a new restaurant coming,” he continued. “It’s called Dum Pukht.”
My final stop was the Crystal Ballroom. Walking along the corridor, I recalled Benazir Bhutto’s grand forays to this hotel. One occasion stood out: the inauguration of Aitzaz Ahsan’s book The Indus Saga. She had sat on the dais looking angelic rolling her prayer beads and when the time for her to speak came, she had us hooked by the sweep of her knowledge of history. BB could hold forth for hours on just about anything. Now she was gone six feet under.
After iftar, I heard my home rattle. The muffled thud was deathlike. Ten minutes later, the Marriott, one heard, was on fire. Was this my last pilgrimage to a place which was more than just a hotel; it was a lifetime or will it rise like the Phoenix again?--Courtesy Dawn Magazine
Revisiting the Marriott and going down nostalgia corridors held an anticipative promise of bygone memories. Under this roof, over these floors, along these life-sized glass windows, lay buried years of history.
Saturdays in Islamabad are slow. The roads wear a deserted look. Despite the media hype of President Zardari’s address to the parliament later that afternoon, life around the capital dozed off. It was a good day to be out.
The September sun was benign. Spending ‘quality time’ at Marriott, the haunt of our haut mondes or high society, sounded fun.
Revisiting the Crystal Ballroom and going down nostalgia corridors held an anticipative promise of bygone memories. Under this roof, over these floors, along these life-sized glass windows lay buried years of history — as old as Islamabad gets. It was the gathering place of our political, social and business glitterati; it was the centre of our universe. I was journeying through its galaxies after a lapse of ten years. And I was excited.
At the barrier, the sniffer dog looked disinterested. One hoped his handlers fed and cared for him. Our society is not humane towards animals. The two guards mechanically examining the rear and front of our car raised the rod to let us in. We parked on the side and walked towards the entrance. I noticed a flurry of activity. Something was afoot. The forklift in the hotel’s front was lifting concrete planters, pedestaling them higher on makeshift cemented blocks. They looked kind of shoddy. Soon the life-sized glass windows got screened by a wall of green shield, hiding what lay inside. Was it a re-fortification against some crazy suicide bomber wanting to ram into the windows? The thought crossed my mind, but I let it pass as I was greeted by that unusually tall turbaned man wearing a red sherwani graciously opening the front door for me. He was an institution. He was Marriott’s mascot. Is he dead or alive?
Inside the lobby, young women in black business-suits ushered us in with welcoming smiles. Are they dead or alive? They looked particularly happy to see us. I wonder why. Sadruddin Hashwani, known to all as ‘Sadru’ owns the hotel. He lives atop the best hill in Islamabad which he bought from the heirs of President Ayub Khan. From Sadru’s hill, one gets the frontal view of his property nestling below. Perchance, he must have caught sight of the inferno swallowing his beloved hotel even before his phone rang. The pain of loss watching his empire go up in flames was amply visible on his furrowed face.
It was around lunchtime. The Nadia coffee shop, which must have undergone at least ten makeovers since the days one sat, drank coffee and saw the world spin around with piped music playing, was deserted. It was Ramazan. A few foreigners sat eating. The lobby across was lonely. No check-ins or check-outs stirred. The only activity worth noting was a Saudi gentleman, appearing to rant while the booking clerks looked on. I wondered what the fellow was griping about. Is he alive or dead?
Right in the centre of the hall stood a huge flower arrangement. The white lilies were so big that I needed a pinch test. Yes, they were real, smiled the man watering the bouquet. The giant sized plants also looked too good to be true. I needed a reality check this time because life itself looked too good to be real! The shopping arcade was silent this Saturday. But alongside the bakery, banging and nailing on the ceiling was going on.
I edged towards the mouth dripping showcased goodies. Some foreign women were confectionary shopping. They appeared taking their time picking delicacies ensconced in beguiling doilies. An ornamental doily, even the tiniest mat made of paper, is the crispiest thing to behold. Especially when it holds the best cake, baklava, danish, éclair, flan, tart, or a cream puff . Sadru’s bakery was swell. There were huge dates waiting to be devoured. Jars of special honey and jams seemed to be saying, ‘come buy me, honey!’
I made a mental note to ‘treat’ myself the next time I felt low. But that may never come to pass, at least not for some time.
The barber hung around in his parlour. Not many customers this Saturday; except for one, a jiyala, perhaps. Addressing the barber to do a good job, he duly informed all, “I’m an MNA. I am going to the parliament to hear President Zardari’s “epoch-making” speech. So, make sure you give me a smart haircut.” Someone around quipped “God help us!” Laughter broke out. One still doesn’t know who the jibe was meant for.
I moved on to the mauve-coloured chairs with bamboo decor. The tempura bar fascinated me, the colour scheme thrilled me. Gingerly I peered inside. A man vacuuming the floor beckoned “Come in. We’re getting ready for the evening. It’s very busy then.” Impressed by what met my eyes, once more I added ‘must come here’ to my memory list. “We have many more fancy restaurants here. There’s the Lebanese, the Chinese and the American steak house,” he said with a sense of ownership. “We have a new restaurant coming,” he continued. “It’s called Dum Pukht.”
My final stop was the Crystal Ballroom. Walking along the corridor, I recalled Benazir Bhutto’s grand forays to this hotel. One occasion stood out: the inauguration of Aitzaz Ahsan’s book The Indus Saga. She had sat on the dais looking angelic rolling her prayer beads and when the time for her to speak came, she had us hooked by the sweep of her knowledge of history. BB could hold forth for hours on just about anything. Now she was gone six feet under.
After iftar, I heard my home rattle. The muffled thud was deathlike. Ten minutes later, the Marriott, one heard, was on fire. Was this my last pilgrimage to a place which was more than just a hotel; it was a lifetime or will it rise like the Phoenix again?--Courtesy Dawn Magazine
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Chitrali injured in Marriott blast improving
Chitral Update Report
ISLAMABAD: One of the Chitralis injured in the Marriott Hotel blast on September 20 is improving at the Shifa International Hospital Islamabad.
Inayat Ali, 30, a resident of Booni, was initially treated at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and a few days back shifted to Shifa Hospital. He has now been shifted from ICU to the High Dependency Ward (HDW) from where he is expected to be transferred to a normal ward.
Hospital sources said Inayat’s condition is improving and he took a glass of juice on Saturday. His gall bladder and spleen had been injured in the blast. The gall bladder is still leaking while the spleen has been removed.
A total of three Chitralis were injured in the devastating blast. Bashir Husain of Bang died three days later, while Mir Akbar of Chuinj was discharged from Pims two days after the incident.
ISLAMABAD: One of the Chitralis injured in the Marriott Hotel blast on September 20 is improving at the Shifa International Hospital Islamabad.
Inayat Ali, 30, a resident of Booni, was initially treated at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and a few days back shifted to Shifa Hospital. He has now been shifted from ICU to the High Dependency Ward (HDW) from where he is expected to be transferred to a normal ward.
Hospital sources said Inayat’s condition is improving and he took a glass of juice on Saturday. His gall bladder and spleen had been injured in the blast. The gall bladder is still leaking while the spleen has been removed.
A total of three Chitralis were injured in the devastating blast. Bashir Husain of Bang died three days later, while Mir Akbar of Chuinj was discharged from Pims two days after the incident.
Jashn-i-Chitral could have attracted terrorists, not tourists, say political leaders
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
People from different walks of life have appreciated the decision of the provincial government to postpone Jeshn-i-Chitral which was scheduled to commence from October 12.
District heads of different political parties and representatives of civil society organizations said on Saturday time was quite inappropriate to hold the fair and make jubilation when the situation in the neighbouring districts was highly tense and precious human lives were perished every day.
The district president of Awami National Party, Syed Muzafar Ali Shah Jan said his party did patronize sports and cultural activities but at peace times only, while the fair was ill-timed.
He said the general public did not favour the holding of the fair due to the prevailing circumstances in the adjacent districts of Swat and Dir but some elements were evincing keen interest only to boost their business. He said the people of Chitral and Swat have always enjoyed cordial relations while certain quarters did not want it to continue.
He said the people of Chitral are totally perturbed over the killing of the innocent people of Swat which is hit by high tension. Expressing his regrets, he said the provincial government should have examined the ground situation before deciding to hold the fair in Chitral instead of yielding to a few elements who always put forth their own interests.
The district secretary of PPP, Mohammad Hakim advocate, said the personnel of Chitral Scouts and police had been deployed in Swat and Bajaur and almost every week the dead bodies of one or two martyred personnel were brought to Chitral and the decision of the government to hold fair in Chitral had filled the people with anger.
He said security was the biggest problem as it could have provided a fair chance to the terrorist to come to Chitral and carry out his nefarious activities during the fair. He said the holding of the fair was more to attract the attention of terrorists than tourists towards the district.
Mr Hakim said his party did not want a fair which was against the will of the common people as the choice of time was totally wrong.
The amir of Jamaat-i-Islami, Maulana Ghulam Mohammad, said the people of Chitral did not want jubilation of any kind when the people in the neighbour districts were bleeding.
He said in the name of culture, no one will be allowed to propagate obscenity in the district and the exhibition of Kalash dance in Chitral city had been abandoned in 1974 due to the protests of the people. He said those fond of ‘cultural shows’ should go to Kalash valleys but it will not be allowed in Chitral.
He said the government should provide jobs and social security to the residents of this backward area as hungry people cannot make jubilations. He said the fair was a cruel joke with the jobless and poverty stricken people of Chitral.
People from different walks of life have appreciated the decision of the provincial government to postpone Jeshn-i-Chitral which was scheduled to commence from October 12.
District heads of different political parties and representatives of civil society organizations said on Saturday time was quite inappropriate to hold the fair and make jubilation when the situation in the neighbouring districts was highly tense and precious human lives were perished every day.
The district president of Awami National Party, Syed Muzafar Ali Shah Jan said his party did patronize sports and cultural activities but at peace times only, while the fair was ill-timed.
He said the general public did not favour the holding of the fair due to the prevailing circumstances in the adjacent districts of Swat and Dir but some elements were evincing keen interest only to boost their business. He said the people of Chitral and Swat have always enjoyed cordial relations while certain quarters did not want it to continue.
He said the people of Chitral are totally perturbed over the killing of the innocent people of Swat which is hit by high tension. Expressing his regrets, he said the provincial government should have examined the ground situation before deciding to hold the fair in Chitral instead of yielding to a few elements who always put forth their own interests.
The district secretary of PPP, Mohammad Hakim advocate, said the personnel of Chitral Scouts and police had been deployed in Swat and Bajaur and almost every week the dead bodies of one or two martyred personnel were brought to Chitral and the decision of the government to hold fair in Chitral had filled the people with anger.
He said security was the biggest problem as it could have provided a fair chance to the terrorist to come to Chitral and carry out his nefarious activities during the fair. He said the holding of the fair was more to attract the attention of terrorists than tourists towards the district.
Mr Hakim said his party did not want a fair which was against the will of the common people as the choice of time was totally wrong.
The amir of Jamaat-i-Islami, Maulana Ghulam Mohammad, said the people of Chitral did not want jubilation of any kind when the people in the neighbour districts were bleeding.
He said in the name of culture, no one will be allowed to propagate obscenity in the district and the exhibition of Kalash dance in Chitral city had been abandoned in 1974 due to the protests of the people. He said those fond of ‘cultural shows’ should go to Kalash valleys but it will not be allowed in Chitral.
He said the government should provide jobs and social security to the residents of this backward area as hungry people cannot make jubilations. He said the fair was a cruel joke with the jobless and poverty stricken people of Chitral.
Five killed, one injured in accident
Chitral Update Report
Five persons were killed and one was injured when a pickup plunged into a river at Nirdet Gol area at Kari village, about six km north of Chitral, on Saturday.
According to sources, the bodies of two persons have still not been retrieved. Those whose bodies have been retrieved were identified as Mohammad Anwar, Fazlur Rehman and Gul Badad.
One injured identified as Sibghatullah, 14, son of Saleemullah, has been admitted to the DHQ hospital.
The Ghugai car carrying the members of the Tableeghi jamaat was coming to Chitral from Barenis when the incident occured.
Five persons were killed and one was injured when a pickup plunged into a river at Nirdet Gol area at Kari village, about six km north of Chitral, on Saturday.
According to sources, the bodies of two persons have still not been retrieved. Those whose bodies have been retrieved were identified as Mohammad Anwar, Fazlur Rehman and Gul Badad.
One injured identified as Sibghatullah, 14, son of Saleemullah, has been admitted to the DHQ hospital.
The Ghugai car carrying the members of the Tableeghi jamaat was coming to Chitral from Barenis when the incident occured.
Eight feared dead in Chitral accident
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
Eight persons are feared dead after a car plunged into the Chitral river at Nirdet Gol near Kari village on Saturday.
According to sources, the body of one person identified as Mohammad Anwar has been retrieved from the river and shifted to the DHQ hospital Chitral.
The Ghogai car carrying the Tableeghi Jamaat members was coming to Chitral from Barenis when it skided off the road and fell into the river.
Efforts were in progress to fish out the dead bodies of the remaining persons. The names of the other dead could not be ascertained immediately.
Eight persons are feared dead after a car plunged into the Chitral river at Nirdet Gol near Kari village on Saturday.
According to sources, the body of one person identified as Mohammad Anwar has been retrieved from the river and shifted to the DHQ hospital Chitral.
The Ghogai car carrying the Tableeghi Jamaat members was coming to Chitral from Barenis when it skided off the road and fell into the river.
Efforts were in progress to fish out the dead bodies of the remaining persons. The names of the other dead could not be ascertained immediately.
Call to enhance Chitral border security
Chitral Update Report
PESHAWAR: A delegation from Chitral called on NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti and discussed with him matters relating to the development and law and order situation of Chitral in the backdrop of rising militancy in the neighbouring districts.
Headed by NWFP Minister for Population Welfare Saleem Khan, the delegation demanded that an elite force should be raised and the existing Chitral border police strengthened to check militants’ infiltration into the peacful valley from other districts as well as Afghanistan.
PESHAWAR: A delegation from Chitral called on NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti and discussed with him matters relating to the development and law and order situation of Chitral in the backdrop of rising militancy in the neighbouring districts.
Headed by NWFP Minister for Population Welfare Saleem Khan, the delegation demanded that an elite force should be raised and the existing Chitral border police strengthened to check militants’ infiltration into the peacful valley from other districts as well as Afghanistan.
Friday, September 26, 2008
MNA angry over non-release of uplift funds
ISLAMABAD: MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin has said he has sent a letter to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani expressing concerns over the government's failure to release Chitral's development funds sanctioned under the Khushhal Pakistan Programme (KPP) by the previous government.
Talking to Chitral Update correspondent on phone from Peshawar on Friday evening, he said labourers who worked in different uplift projects in Chitral were cursing the rulers after they failed to get their wages as the funds remained frozen since the PPP came to power over six months back. He said despite repeated efforts he was unable to meet the prime minister and raise the issue with him.
In reply to a question, he said he had decided to join the PPP but was unable to announce formal joining of the party as under the defection class of the constitution he was not empower to do so.
However, he said, during a meeting the prime minister had informed them that from now onward we (MNAs in the forward bloc) would be consider as members of the ruling coalition and in the next elections they would be given PPP tickets if they wanted to run the lections on the PPP platform.
To another question, he said the government had not promised any ministerial slot for him for joining the PPP. However, he said, the coalition government would offer a few ministerial posts to the MNAs in the forward bloc and they would be distributed province wise. He said among the three or four MNAs joing or supporting the PPP from the NWFP, he was the senior most parliamentarian and as such was hopeful to get a ministry.
Talking to Chitral Update correspondent on phone from Peshawar on Friday evening, he said labourers who worked in different uplift projects in Chitral were cursing the rulers after they failed to get their wages as the funds remained frozen since the PPP came to power over six months back. He said despite repeated efforts he was unable to meet the prime minister and raise the issue with him.
In reply to a question, he said he had decided to join the PPP but was unable to announce formal joining of the party as under the defection class of the constitution he was not empower to do so.
However, he said, during a meeting the prime minister had informed them that from now onward we (MNAs in the forward bloc) would be consider as members of the ruling coalition and in the next elections they would be given PPP tickets if they wanted to run the lections on the PPP platform.
To another question, he said the government had not promised any ministerial slot for him for joining the PPP. However, he said, the coalition government would offer a few ministerial posts to the MNAs in the forward bloc and they would be distributed province wise. He said among the three or four MNAs joing or supporting the PPP from the NWFP, he was the senior most parliamentarian and as such was hopeful to get a ministry.
Car donated to DHQ hospital used as taxi by doctor
Report GH Farooqui, Chitral
An Alto car donated to the District Headquarters Hospital Chitral
in 2004 for patients welfare and use as an ambulance was parked
in the hosue of a doctor for two years and then used as Rent A Car,
sources said.
However, the amount earned by using the vehicle as a taxi was not
used for the welfare of the needy patients. It is pertinent to note
that the owner of the car who had donated it for the patients was
the principal of Government Degree College for Girls Chitral, who
also frequently travelled in the taxi and hesitantly paid the fares.
Later, on the intervention of the provincial government and the
executive district officer health, the new medical superintendent
(MS) of the DHQ Hospital, Dr Nazir Ahmad, returned the vehicle to the
original donor.
Social and political circle of Chitral have demanded an inquiry
into the matter and said the amount earned from the taxi should
be used retrieved from the doctor and used for patients welfare.
An Alto car donated to the District Headquarters Hospital Chitral
in 2004 for patients welfare and use as an ambulance was parked
in the hosue of a doctor for two years and then used as Rent A Car,
sources said.
However, the amount earned by using the vehicle as a taxi was not
used for the welfare of the needy patients. It is pertinent to note
that the owner of the car who had donated it for the patients was
the principal of Government Degree College for Girls Chitral, who
also frequently travelled in the taxi and hesitantly paid the fares.
Later, on the intervention of the provincial government and the
executive district officer health, the new medical superintendent
(MS) of the DHQ Hospital, Dr Nazir Ahmad, returned the vehicle to the
original donor.
Social and political circle of Chitral have demanded an inquiry
into the matter and said the amount earned from the taxi should
be used retrieved from the doctor and used for patients welfare.
Protest held in Chitral against price hike
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
The Chitral chapter of the Jamaat-i-Islami organised a rally on Friday to protest price hike and power loadshedding.
The party also held a meeting to protest violation of Pakistani airspace by US-led forces stationed in Afghanistan.
Activists of the party took out a procession from the Atalique chowk, which converted into a meeting after reaching the Goldoor chowk. Speaking on the occasion, district JI president Maulana Ghulam Mohammad said prices of daily-use items were rising, making life difficult for the poor. He said frequent suicides by poor people proved failure of the government in controlling prices of essential items.
He accused the government of protecting profiteers, saying there was no mechanism to discourage profiteering.
He said loadshedding during Ramazan had increased miseries of people.
He alleged that the US forces were violating the boundaries of the country with the tacit approval of the Pakistan government. He claimed that the country was being destabilised under a conspiracy.
The Chitral chapter of the Jamaat-i-Islami organised a rally on Friday to protest price hike and power loadshedding.
The party also held a meeting to protest violation of Pakistani airspace by US-led forces stationed in Afghanistan.
Activists of the party took out a procession from the Atalique chowk, which converted into a meeting after reaching the Goldoor chowk. Speaking on the occasion, district JI president Maulana Ghulam Mohammad said prices of daily-use items were rising, making life difficult for the poor. He said frequent suicides by poor people proved failure of the government in controlling prices of essential items.
He accused the government of protecting profiteers, saying there was no mechanism to discourage profiteering.
He said loadshedding during Ramazan had increased miseries of people.
He alleged that the US forces were violating the boundaries of the country with the tacit approval of the Pakistan government. He claimed that the country was being destabilised under a conspiracy.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Bird hits Chitral-bound PIA plane
ISLAMABAD: A PIA turbo-prop aircraft bound for Chitral from Islamabad returned to the airport after a bird hit with it on Wednesday.
The pilot of PK-660 had taken off the airport at about 8am when the bird hit the aircraft. The pilot landed back at the airport and after a delay of about one hour again left for Chitral. However, this time due to bad weather the plane could not proceed to Chitral and returned to Islamabad after a while.
The pilot of PK-660 had taken off the airport at about 8am when the bird hit the aircraft. The pilot landed back at the airport and after a delay of about one hour again left for Chitral. However, this time due to bad weather the plane could not proceed to Chitral and returned to Islamabad after a while.
Killed suicide bomber used fake Chitrali identity
The alleged suicide bomber who some days earlier after failing to take a children's school in upper Dir hostage, was chased and killed by locals along with another colleague, was not a Chitrali as reported then in the national press. The district Nazim and police sources told this scribe that on inquiry it was found that no such person existed in Ayun village and the identity card recovered from his body was a fake one, they said.-- GH Farooqi
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Chitral peace body vows to keep militants away
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
All segments of society in Chitral have expressed their resolve to maintain the ideal peace and tranquility prevalent in the district.
In the monthly meeting of peace committee held on Wednesday with Chitral DCO Mutasim Billah Shah in the chair, the heads of various political parties, representatives of civil society organizations and other stakeholders expressed their views to maintain peace and harmony.
They said the people of Chitral were not susceptible to extremism and they hated terrorism in all its forms and ways and will not allow anyone to disturb the ideal peace of the area. They said the people were keeping close vigilance over their surroundings so that no one may have a chance to carry out subversive activities.
They asked the law enforcing agencies not to allow outsiders to enter the district without proper verification and keep complete and updated information about the outsiders in the valley.
They said Chitral has porous boundaries with other districts and intrusion of militants is quite possible against which extraordinary measures must be taken by increasing the strength of force.
Addressing on the occasion, the DCO said without the active cooperation of the people, it was not possible to maintain peace in the area and the district government is employing all its resources and capabilities to maintain peace.
All segments of society in Chitral have expressed their resolve to maintain the ideal peace and tranquility prevalent in the district.
In the monthly meeting of peace committee held on Wednesday with Chitral DCO Mutasim Billah Shah in the chair, the heads of various political parties, representatives of civil society organizations and other stakeholders expressed their views to maintain peace and harmony.
They said the people of Chitral were not susceptible to extremism and they hated terrorism in all its forms and ways and will not allow anyone to disturb the ideal peace of the area. They said the people were keeping close vigilance over their surroundings so that no one may have a chance to carry out subversive activities.
They asked the law enforcing agencies not to allow outsiders to enter the district without proper verification and keep complete and updated information about the outsiders in the valley.
They said Chitral has porous boundaries with other districts and intrusion of militants is quite possible against which extraordinary measures must be taken by increasing the strength of force.
Addressing on the occasion, the DCO said without the active cooperation of the people, it was not possible to maintain peace in the area and the district government is employing all its resources and capabilities to maintain peace.
Body of Marriott blast victim buried in Bang
Chitral Update Report, Bang
The body of Bashir Hussain, who succumbed to injuries sustained at the Marriott Hotel blast in Islamabad, was buried at his ancestral graveyard in Bang lower on Wednesday evening.
A large number of people were present in his house when the body arrived from Islamabad. Moving scenes were witnessed on the occasion. The family members of the victim were informed about the targic death of Mr Hussain early on Wednesday morning.
Hussain's family members had spoken with him on the phone when he was at the hospital after the blast. As there is no phone facility, his mother and other family members came to Dizg, at a distance of about nine km, and made the phone call from a cardless phone.
Meanwhile, a large number of people from many distant villages of the valley are coming to Bang to condole the death.
The body of Bashir Hussain, who succumbed to injuries sustained at the Marriott Hotel blast in Islamabad, was buried at his ancestral graveyard in Bang lower on Wednesday evening.
A large number of people were present in his house when the body arrived from Islamabad. Moving scenes were witnessed on the occasion. The family members of the victim were informed about the targic death of Mr Hussain early on Wednesday morning.
Hussain's family members had spoken with him on the phone when he was at the hospital after the blast. As there is no phone facility, his mother and other family members came to Dizg, at a distance of about nine km, and made the phone call from a cardless phone.
Meanwhile, a large number of people from many distant villages of the valley are coming to Bang to condole the death.
Students suffer due to lack of hostels
ISLAMABAD: For better education and career opportunities students who come from Chitral and other far-flung areas to Rawalpindi and Islamabad are facing immense residential problems in the twin cities.
Most of the students hail from the middle class and have to face financial problems due to increase in rents of accommodations.
They get admission in different universities but most of these institutions have no hostel facility to accommodate them.
The students especially females face hard times to find accommodation and having no other solutions reside in filthy and unhygienic private hostels.
Besides residential problem, they also get unhygienic food. Some students hire residential quarters and flats but despite paying the rent at will of the owners they have to face their misconduct as well. The owners usually threaten them to vacate the house in case of any petty difference.
In the absence of any rules and regulations to regulate the house rent in the twin cities, the owners increase rents whenever they want without any substantive reasons.
The stiudents said improper residence for students was the big barrier in their education. A female student said they were facing more residential problems than male students.--APP
Most of the students hail from the middle class and have to face financial problems due to increase in rents of accommodations.
They get admission in different universities but most of these institutions have no hostel facility to accommodate them.
The students especially females face hard times to find accommodation and having no other solutions reside in filthy and unhygienic private hostels.
Besides residential problem, they also get unhygienic food. Some students hire residential quarters and flats but despite paying the rent at will of the owners they have to face their misconduct as well. The owners usually threaten them to vacate the house in case of any petty difference.
In the absence of any rules and regulations to regulate the house rent in the twin cities, the owners increase rents whenever they want without any substantive reasons.
The stiudents said improper residence for students was the big barrier in their education. A female student said they were facing more residential problems than male students.--APP
Cancellation of Jashn-i-Chitral justified
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
Divisional information secretary of PPP Iqbal Hayat has hailed the decision of the government to cancel Jeshn-i-Chitral in the wake of tense situation in the neighboring districts.
In a press statement issued here on Wednesday, he said it was not suitable time to hold a fair in Chitral when bomb blasts have become order of the day in its neighbouring district and people are leaving their homes for safer places.
He said a good number of Chitral Scouts and police personnel have been deployed in the troubled areas of Swat and Bajaur and many of them have lost their lives. He said in such a situation when the dead bodies are being brought to the district every week no one would like to participate in any fair or jubilation.
Divisional information secretary of PPP Iqbal Hayat has hailed the decision of the government to cancel Jeshn-i-Chitral in the wake of tense situation in the neighboring districts.
In a press statement issued here on Wednesday, he said it was not suitable time to hold a fair in Chitral when bomb blasts have become order of the day in its neighbouring district and people are leaving their homes for safer places.
He said a good number of Chitral Scouts and police personnel have been deployed in the troubled areas of Swat and Bajaur and many of them have lost their lives. He said in such a situation when the dead bodies are being brought to the district every week no one would like to participate in any fair or jubilation.
Over 75pc work on Lowari tunnel access roads completes
ISLAMABAD, Sept 24: Over 70 per cent work on the Rs8 billion Lowari tunnel project on Nowshera-Dir-Chitral Road (N-45) has been completed and the project would be ready next year.
A source in National Highway Authority (NHA) on Wednesday said over 75 per cent work on the nine km access roads on both sides of the tunnel had also been completed.
The 8.6 km-long tunnel will provide an all-weather communication linkage to the Chitral valley which remains cut off from rest of the country in winter. It would also facilitate Pakistan's link with landlocked Central Asian state of Tajikistan via the narrow Wakhan strip in Afghanistan. With its completion distance between Peshawar and Chitral would be reduced by five to six hours, he added.
Work on the project started in 2005 but it was formally inaugurated in July 2006 by former president Pervez Musharraf. A Korean firm is constructing around the 7.5 metre wide and seven metre high tunnel.
The project would be completed in two phases. In the first phase, the tunnel would be constructed while in the second phase a railway track would be laid.
He said it would be the biggest freight tunnel in Asia, adding the project was a joint venture between the Korean SAMBU company and some local firms.
It was more than 50 years back when first feasibility of the project was taken up by the government in 1955 and construction work initiated by the Frontier Works Organisation in 1975 during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's tenure. The FWO carried out tunnelling operation up to 500 metres but the project was abandoned by then military ruler Ziaul Haq citing financial constraints.--APP
A source in National Highway Authority (NHA) on Wednesday said over 75 per cent work on the nine km access roads on both sides of the tunnel had also been completed.
The 8.6 km-long tunnel will provide an all-weather communication linkage to the Chitral valley which remains cut off from rest of the country in winter. It would also facilitate Pakistan's link with landlocked Central Asian state of Tajikistan via the narrow Wakhan strip in Afghanistan. With its completion distance between Peshawar and Chitral would be reduced by five to six hours, he added.
Work on the project started in 2005 but it was formally inaugurated in July 2006 by former president Pervez Musharraf. A Korean firm is constructing around the 7.5 metre wide and seven metre high tunnel.
The project would be completed in two phases. In the first phase, the tunnel would be constructed while in the second phase a railway track would be laid.
He said it would be the biggest freight tunnel in Asia, adding the project was a joint venture between the Korean SAMBU company and some local firms.
It was more than 50 years back when first feasibility of the project was taken up by the government in 1955 and construction work initiated by the Frontier Works Organisation in 1975 during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's tenure. The FWO carried out tunnelling operation up to 500 metres but the project was abandoned by then military ruler Ziaul Haq citing financial constraints.--APP
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Two tribes in Bumburet end feud; ox goes to the Sheikhs
Two Muslim tribes of Bumburate valley ended their long-drawn feud over ownership of land at a ceremony held in Chitral on Tuesday.
The Sheikh and Zamook Dari tribes, living in the upper part of the Bumburet valley had developed antagonism some time ago and a bloody clash was always imminent, the residents said.
Despite residing in the same locality, the two tribes had declared a complete social boycott of each other and had adopted a novel way to implement it.
Those who talked or greeted the members of the other tribe were forced to give a cow as a fine to their respective tribes. Then the cow was slaughtered and its meat was distributed among the tribe members.
The residents said a social worker, Qazi Pehlvan, of Khairabad in Drosh town made hectic efforts to bring the warring tribes to the negotiating table.
At the ceremony, the Zamook Dari tribe members presented a traditional gift of an ox to the Sheikh tribe as a token of peace and amity and then the representatives of both the tribes embraced each other.
The heads of the tribes pledged to live in peace in future and settle issues with mutual consultation. They said the feud was the result of misunderstanding and declared that they have forgiven each other with open arms.--Zahiruddin
The Sheikh and Zamook Dari tribes, living in the upper part of the Bumburet valley had developed antagonism some time ago and a bloody clash was always imminent, the residents said.
Despite residing in the same locality, the two tribes had declared a complete social boycott of each other and had adopted a novel way to implement it.
Those who talked or greeted the members of the other tribe were forced to give a cow as a fine to their respective tribes. Then the cow was slaughtered and its meat was distributed among the tribe members.
The residents said a social worker, Qazi Pehlvan, of Khairabad in Drosh town made hectic efforts to bring the warring tribes to the negotiating table.
At the ceremony, the Zamook Dari tribe members presented a traditional gift of an ox to the Sheikh tribe as a token of peace and amity and then the representatives of both the tribes embraced each other.
The heads of the tribes pledged to live in peace in future and settle issues with mutual consultation. They said the feud was the result of misunderstanding and declared that they have forgiven each other with open arms.--Zahiruddin
Chitral residents reject raise in water rates
By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL: The residents of Chitral town have rejected the increase in water rates and asked the tehsil municipal administration to reverse the decision.
They alleged that the Water and Sanitation Unit (WSU), a subsidiary of the Chitral TMA, had increased the tariff without improving the quality of the service.
They said that many localities of the city were without water for the last many months but the residents were receiving water bills regularly. They said that the decision of the increase should have been made on the floor of the tehsil council but it was taken on some other ‘unauthorised’ forum.
When contacted, Sartaj Ahmed Khan, tehsil nazim Chitral who is also the chairman of the WSU, said that it had become unavoidable to increase the rates of drinking water as the prices of other commodities had risen manifold.
He said that the decision was taken by the WSU, which was an authorised body consisting of all the stakeholders.
CHITRAL: The residents of Chitral town have rejected the increase in water rates and asked the tehsil municipal administration to reverse the decision.
They alleged that the Water and Sanitation Unit (WSU), a subsidiary of the Chitral TMA, had increased the tariff without improving the quality of the service.
They said that many localities of the city were without water for the last many months but the residents were receiving water bills regularly. They said that the decision of the increase should have been made on the floor of the tehsil council but it was taken on some other ‘unauthorised’ forum.
When contacted, Sartaj Ahmed Khan, tehsil nazim Chitral who is also the chairman of the WSU, said that it had become unavoidable to increase the rates of drinking water as the prices of other commodities had risen manifold.
He said that the decision was taken by the WSU, which was an authorised body consisting of all the stakeholders.
Chitrali victim of Marriott blast dies
Chitral Update Report, Islamabad
Bashir Husain, one of the three Chitralis injured in the Marriott Hotel blast on Saturday, died at the Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad on Tuesday. He is survived by his old parents, widow and three small children, a daughter and two sons.
Mr Husain, aged 30, son of Hakim Khan of Bang in Yarkhun valley, who worked as a cashier at the hotel, was shifted to Shifa hospital from Polyclinic after his his condition deteriorated on Monday. He was kept in a ventilator at Shifa International's ICU, where he succumed to his injuries at about 2pm.
His body was later shifted to Karimaabad Jamatkhana at Karachi Company where a large number of Chitralis attended his Namaz-i-Janaza.
Shahzada Siraj ulMulk was also present on the occasion. Later, the body was dispatched to his home village in an ambulance.
The deceased Husain's brother complained that he was not provided proper care at the Polyclinic hospital. He held the doctors of the hospital responsible for his brother's death and said they mismanaged the case and left his brother unattended among minor injured patients for days.
Meanwhile, another injured, Inayat Ali, a resident of Booni, is still at the ICU of Pims, while the third injured, Mir Akbar of Chuinj was discharged from the hospital on Monday.
Bashir Husain, one of the three Chitralis injured in the Marriott Hotel blast on Saturday, died at the Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad on Tuesday. He is survived by his old parents, widow and three small children, a daughter and two sons.
Mr Husain, aged 30, son of Hakim Khan of Bang in Yarkhun valley, who worked as a cashier at the hotel, was shifted to Shifa hospital from Polyclinic after his his condition deteriorated on Monday. He was kept in a ventilator at Shifa International's ICU, where he succumed to his injuries at about 2pm.
His body was later shifted to Karimaabad Jamatkhana at Karachi Company where a large number of Chitralis attended his Namaz-i-Janaza.
Shahzada Siraj ulMulk was also present on the occasion. Later, the body was dispatched to his home village in an ambulance.
The deceased Husain's brother complained that he was not provided proper care at the Polyclinic hospital. He held the doctors of the hospital responsible for his brother's death and said they mismanaged the case and left his brother unattended among minor injured patients for days.
Meanwhile, another injured, Inayat Ali, a resident of Booni, is still at the ICU of Pims, while the third injured, Mir Akbar of Chuinj was discharged from the hospital on Monday.
Chitrali injued in Marriott blast critical
Chitral Update Report, Islamabad
ONE of the three Chitralis injured in the Marriott Hotel blast has been shifted to the Shifa International Hospital in a critical condition.
Bashir Husain, son of Hakim Khan of Bang who worked as a cashier at the hotel, was being treated at Polyclinic Hospital where his condition deteriorated on Tuesday. He has now been shifted to Shifa International Hospital Islamabad and kept in a ventilator at the ICU.
Another injured, Inayat Ali, a resident of Booni, is already at the ICU of Pims, while the third injured, Mir Akbar of Chuinj was discharged from Pims on Monday.
ONE of the three Chitralis injured in the Marriott Hotel blast has been shifted to the Shifa International Hospital in a critical condition.
Bashir Husain, son of Hakim Khan of Bang who worked as a cashier at the hotel, was being treated at Polyclinic Hospital where his condition deteriorated on Tuesday. He has now been shifted to Shifa International Hospital Islamabad and kept in a ventilator at the ICU.
Another injured, Inayat Ali, a resident of Booni, is already at the ICU of Pims, while the third injured, Mir Akbar of Chuinj was discharged from Pims on Monday.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Chitralis the music lovers
Chitralis love to sing and dance. Any Chitrali can sing and dance but there are also some "experts " that form a group and gather whenever there is an occasion. These people are not professional musicians but mere music lovers.
Usually, the group consists of 8-10 persons: one or two singers that sing the verse alternatively, a sitar player and a jerrican player. The rest will clap their hands and dance one by one.
There are many folk songs, songs from the old days to the present new songs.
Among the Chitrali's culture, songs - poems are highly evaluated and whenever a song is sung the poet and the background of the song is remembered. The themes of the songs are various but most of the songs are of love and this the Chitralis most admire. Some of the words of the old songs are forgotten but still the melodies remain and are being performed by instruments.
There are several types of songs. Long songs that are sung in a very slow duple beat are called dani. Sauz is sung in a medium tempo and the rhythm of the sitar changes from duplet to triplet alternately.
While these songs are accompanied by dance, there are also songs that are sung alone. Ashurjan is one of them and are sung in a dialogue form, a very old style.
Here are examples of two famous Chitrali songs. The words are in Khowar, the predominant language of Chitral.Chitrali sitar
Chitrali sitar is a long necked lute about 1 - 1.3 meter long with 5 strings tuned C-C-G-C-C. There are 12-13 frets.
The player will hold the 1st and 2nd strings together and play the melody. The rest of the strings play the role of drone.
Plectrum is not used.
Similar sitars are seen throughout northern Pakistan, Afghanistan and central Asia.
Jerrican and Daf
Jerrican (jerry can) serves as an important instrument to keep the rhythm.
Sometimes an one sided frame drum called daf is also used with (or without) a jerrican . Daf is similar to a tambourine, its diameter about 40-50cm. In former days daf was a popular instrument throughout Chitral but nowadays it is being replaced by jerrican. Still we can see it used n the upper part of Chitral.
Dance
Whenever a song starts, a dancer steps in the middle and starts to dance. He will dance very slowly taking small steps and arms spread wide.
Gradually, the steps increase speed and finally he will spin round and round encouraged by the clapping of the hands and enthusiastic shouts made by the audience.-- Courtesy www.site-shara.net
Usually, the group consists of 8-10 persons: one or two singers that sing the verse alternatively, a sitar player and a jerrican player. The rest will clap their hands and dance one by one.
There are many folk songs, songs from the old days to the present new songs.
Among the Chitrali's culture, songs - poems are highly evaluated and whenever a song is sung the poet and the background of the song is remembered. The themes of the songs are various but most of the songs are of love and this the Chitralis most admire. Some of the words of the old songs are forgotten but still the melodies remain and are being performed by instruments.
There are several types of songs. Long songs that are sung in a very slow duple beat are called dani. Sauz is sung in a medium tempo and the rhythm of the sitar changes from duplet to triplet alternately.
While these songs are accompanied by dance, there are also songs that are sung alone. Ashurjan is one of them and are sung in a dialogue form, a very old style.
Here are examples of two famous Chitrali songs. The words are in Khowar, the predominant language of Chitral.Chitrali sitar
Chitrali sitar is a long necked lute about 1 - 1.3 meter long with 5 strings tuned C-C-G-C-C. There are 12-13 frets.
The player will hold the 1st and 2nd strings together and play the melody. The rest of the strings play the role of drone.
Plectrum is not used.
Similar sitars are seen throughout northern Pakistan, Afghanistan and central Asia.
Jerrican and Daf
Jerrican (jerry can) serves as an important instrument to keep the rhythm.
Sometimes an one sided frame drum called daf is also used with (or without) a jerrican . Daf is similar to a tambourine, its diameter about 40-50cm. In former days daf was a popular instrument throughout Chitral but nowadays it is being replaced by jerrican. Still we can see it used n the upper part of Chitral.
Dance
Whenever a song starts, a dancer steps in the middle and starts to dance. He will dance very slowly taking small steps and arms spread wide.
Gradually, the steps increase speed and finally he will spin round and round encouraged by the clapping of the hands and enthusiastic shouts made by the audience.-- Courtesy www.site-shara.net
Floods can wipe out Kalash valley, say elders
By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL: Apart from the dangers posed by intervention of outsiders and modern education, Kalash culture is facing a physical threat from flashfloods which can wipe out a large portion of the valley in case of torrential rains, Kalash elders say here on Monday.
Kalash leaders Deomali, Faizi Khan and Basharat said Bumburate valley was vulnerable to floods which could wreak havoc any time wiping out the centuries-old Kalash culture physically.
They said the deforestation in the catchments area of the valley for the last many decades had made it prone to floods which hit different parts of the valley annually. They said that the flashflood that swamped Krakal village of the valley the other day must be taken as an eye-opener by those at the helm of affairs.
“A torrential rain of just half an hour can wipe out the whole village which is the center of the Kalash culture,” they said. The Kalash elders said although government and some NGOs were spending a lot of money for the uplift of the area yet none had paid any attention to the problem of floods in the valley.
They said 60 per cent population of the three valleys was concentrated in Bumburate which was also the richest in term of cultural heritage. They said that the other two Kalash valleys Birir and Rumbur were also facing the danger of flash floods but its intensity was higher in Bumburate valley.
They said that topography of the valley was such that the residents of the valley would find no safer place to take refuge there in case of full-scale flood.
They said that the recent floods in the valley swept away maize crops, which was a single crop of the valley. They added that damage to Kalash valleys by floods meant retardation of tourism in the district as the primitive Kalash culture was the main attraction for the tourists.
They demanded of the government to chalk out a comprehensive plan on natural resources management in the valley with the active participation of Kalash community.
CHITRAL: Apart from the dangers posed by intervention of outsiders and modern education, Kalash culture is facing a physical threat from flashfloods which can wipe out a large portion of the valley in case of torrential rains, Kalash elders say here on Monday.
Kalash leaders Deomali, Faizi Khan and Basharat said Bumburate valley was vulnerable to floods which could wreak havoc any time wiping out the centuries-old Kalash culture physically.
They said the deforestation in the catchments area of the valley for the last many decades had made it prone to floods which hit different parts of the valley annually. They said that the flashflood that swamped Krakal village of the valley the other day must be taken as an eye-opener by those at the helm of affairs.
“A torrential rain of just half an hour can wipe out the whole village which is the center of the Kalash culture,” they said. The Kalash elders said although government and some NGOs were spending a lot of money for the uplift of the area yet none had paid any attention to the problem of floods in the valley.
They said 60 per cent population of the three valleys was concentrated in Bumburate which was also the richest in term of cultural heritage. They said that the other two Kalash valleys Birir and Rumbur were also facing the danger of flash floods but its intensity was higher in Bumburate valley.
They said that topography of the valley was such that the residents of the valley would find no safer place to take refuge there in case of full-scale flood.
They said that the recent floods in the valley swept away maize crops, which was a single crop of the valley. They added that damage to Kalash valleys by floods meant retardation of tourism in the district as the primitive Kalash culture was the main attraction for the tourists.
They demanded of the government to chalk out a comprehensive plan on natural resources management in the valley with the active participation of Kalash community.
Woman released on HR activists' intervention
Report GH Farooqui, Chitral
A helpless woman was released from the district prison Chitral on the intervention of Easy & Equitable Access to Justice Programme. Hajira Bibi was implicated by her husband's brothers in a fake case under section 457 of Pakistan Panel Code and section 18 of Zina Ordinance.
She was arrested by Mulkoh police but the man with whom she was alleged to have illicit relations remained at large. The father of Hajira appealed to local human rights activists for pursuing her case free of cost, saying she was innocent and had been implicated by her brothers-in-law who had some land dispute with her husband.
The case was under trial at the court of Additional Sessions Judge Orangzeb Khan. Prominent Lawyer Niaz A. Niazi appeared in the court on behalf of the woman while Assistant Public Prosecutor Mohammad Afzal represented the prosecution. The judge after hearing arguments of both the parties ordered the woman release. The human rights activists later got the woman released from the jail and handed over her to her father.
A helpless woman was released from the district prison Chitral on the intervention of Easy & Equitable Access to Justice Programme. Hajira Bibi was implicated by her husband's brothers in a fake case under section 457 of Pakistan Panel Code and section 18 of Zina Ordinance.
She was arrested by Mulkoh police but the man with whom she was alleged to have illicit relations remained at large. The father of Hajira appealed to local human rights activists for pursuing her case free of cost, saying she was innocent and had been implicated by her brothers-in-law who had some land dispute with her husband.
The case was under trial at the court of Additional Sessions Judge Orangzeb Khan. Prominent Lawyer Niaz A. Niazi appeared in the court on behalf of the woman while Assistant Public Prosecutor Mohammad Afzal represented the prosecution. The judge after hearing arguments of both the parties ordered the woman release. The human rights activists later got the woman released from the jail and handed over her to her father.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Boy commits suicide in Kosht
CHITRAL: A young man committed suicide by jumping into the river in Mulkhow area, the local police said on Sunday.
According to the police, Hajibur Rehman, 22, son of Faiz Mohammad, a resident of Kosht, took the extreme decision due to poverty and joblessness. His body could not be recovered from the river till filling of this report.--GH Farooqi
According to the police, Hajibur Rehman, 22, son of Faiz Mohammad, a resident of Kosht, took the extreme decision due to poverty and joblessness. His body could not be recovered from the river till filling of this report.--GH Farooqi
Three Chitralis injured in Marriott blast
ISLAMABAD: According to reports gathered from different hospitals in the federal capital, no Chitrali has been killed in the suicide blast that hit the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday evening. However, three persons from the district are admitted to hospitals in the city. They are dentified as Inayat Ali, a resident of Booni, who is admitted to Pims' ICU. Bashir Hussain, of Bang in Yarkhun valley, admitted to Polyclinic but in a stable condition and Mir Akbar, a resident of Chuinj, admitted to Pims. He is also stated to be out of danger. Detailed checking of the bodies in various hospitals also showed there was no Chitrali among the dead. One person from Gilgit who worked in the hotel is also admitted to Polyclinic Hospital but his condition is also out of danger.
A large number of people from Chitral and the Northern Areas worked in the five-star hotel.
Over 50 people are reported killed and scores others injured in the blast which also destroyed the hotel building.
A large number of people stranded inside the building were evacuated safely, said the owner of the hotel Sadruddin Hashwani while talking to the media outside the burning hotel after the incident.
The blast occurred at about 7.40pm. Evewitnesses said a dumper truck laden with explosive material hit the boulders put at the entrance after which the vehicle exploded, killing about 30 people on the spot.
Ambulances and rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the dead and injured peorsons to different hospitals.
A large number of people from Chitral and the Northern Areas worked in the five-star hotel.
Over 50 people are reported killed and scores others injured in the blast which also destroyed the hotel building.
A large number of people stranded inside the building were evacuated safely, said the owner of the hotel Sadruddin Hashwani while talking to the media outside the burning hotel after the incident.
The blast occurred at about 7.40pm. Evewitnesses said a dumper truck laden with explosive material hit the boulders put at the entrance after which the vehicle exploded, killing about 30 people on the spot.
Ambulances and rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the dead and injured peorsons to different hospitals.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Chitralis working in Marriott Hotel are safe
ISLAMABAD: According to reports gathered from different hospitals in the federal capital, no Chitrali has been killed in the suicide blast that hit the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday evening. However, one resident of the district identified as Mir Akbar received minor injuries and was being treated at Polyclinic and would be discharged soon. An accountant at the hotel said another Chitrali, Bashir Wali, remained untraced. However, detailed checking of the bodies in various hospitals showed there was no Chitrali among the dead. One person from Gilgit who worked in the hotel is also admitted to Polyclinic Hospital but his condition is also out of danger.
A large number of people from Chitral and the Northern Areas worked in the five-star hotel.
Over 50 people are reported killed and scores others injured in the blast which also destroyed the hotel building.
A large number of people stranded inside the building were evacuated safely, said the owner of the hotel Sadruddin Hashwani while talking to the media outside the burning hotel after the incident.
The blast occurred at about 7.40pm. Evewitnesses said a dumper truck laden with explosive material hit the boulders put at the entrance after which the vehicle exploded, killing about 30 people on the spot.
Ambulances and rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the dead and injured peorsons to different hospitals.
A large number of people from Chitral and the Northern Areas worked in the five-star hotel.
Over 50 people are reported killed and scores others injured in the blast which also destroyed the hotel building.
A large number of people stranded inside the building were evacuated safely, said the owner of the hotel Sadruddin Hashwani while talking to the media outside the burning hotel after the incident.
The blast occurred at about 7.40pm. Evewitnesses said a dumper truck laden with explosive material hit the boulders put at the entrance after which the vehicle exploded, killing about 30 people on the spot.
Ambulances and rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the dead and injured peorsons to different hospitals.
Freezing of Chitral's uplift funds criticised
DAWN
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD, Sept 20: Work on about 135 development projects launched under the Khushhal Pakistan Programme (KPP) in the Chitral district remain suspended as the PPP-led coalition government has frozen the funds for the schemes after coming to power.
Residents of the valley told Dawn that on the initiative of former PML-Q leader Shahzada Mohiuddin, the previous government had sanctioned Rs102 million under the KPP for launching small-scale development schemes in the poverty-stricken valley through the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP).
They said the local communities had 20 per cent shares in the projects. Work on many of the projects was completed while some were near completion when the term of the PML-Q government ended. By the time the February 18 general elections were held the PML-Q government had released Rs40.56 million to the SRSP for the projects, they added.
However, they added, the PPP soon after coming to power decided to freeze the funds. The communities involved in the projects started visiting the SRSP office in Chitral demanding release of the remaining about Rs62 million but to no avail. They said the situation had created frustration in the district as the residents had been expecting augmented development activities in the area with the formation of the PPP government.
When contacted, Mr Mohiuddin, who was elected MNA from the district in the February 18 elections and later decided to join the PPP, said he was under immense pressure from the public as well as his rivals as work on the projects initiated almost in all parts of the district could not be resumed even over six months after formation of the new government. He said his rivals were raising fingers at him, holding him responsible for freezing of the funds. He said they were also threatening to hold protest demonstrations and moving courts against the delay in release of the funds.
Residents of the area regretted that despite the MNA’s decision to support the new government and later join the PPP, the government had not only failed to announce a development package for the backward district but also frozen the already announced funds.
The MNA said if the government failed to release the funds on a priority basis its credibility in Chitral, once a PPP stronghold, would further erode. He said community representatives and the SRSP were also planning to move courts against freezing of the funds, adding: “they would definitely win the case because the projects had been launched under an agreement signed by the KPP, SRSP and the local communities.”
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD, Sept 20: Work on about 135 development projects launched under the Khushhal Pakistan Programme (KPP) in the Chitral district remain suspended as the PPP-led coalition government has frozen the funds for the schemes after coming to power.
Residents of the valley told Dawn that on the initiative of former PML-Q leader Shahzada Mohiuddin, the previous government had sanctioned Rs102 million under the KPP for launching small-scale development schemes in the poverty-stricken valley through the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP).
They said the local communities had 20 per cent shares in the projects. Work on many of the projects was completed while some were near completion when the term of the PML-Q government ended. By the time the February 18 general elections were held the PML-Q government had released Rs40.56 million to the SRSP for the projects, they added.
However, they added, the PPP soon after coming to power decided to freeze the funds. The communities involved in the projects started visiting the SRSP office in Chitral demanding release of the remaining about Rs62 million but to no avail. They said the situation had created frustration in the district as the residents had been expecting augmented development activities in the area with the formation of the PPP government.
When contacted, Mr Mohiuddin, who was elected MNA from the district in the February 18 elections and later decided to join the PPP, said he was under immense pressure from the public as well as his rivals as work on the projects initiated almost in all parts of the district could not be resumed even over six months after formation of the new government. He said his rivals were raising fingers at him, holding him responsible for freezing of the funds. He said they were also threatening to hold protest demonstrations and moving courts against the delay in release of the funds.
Residents of the area regretted that despite the MNA’s decision to support the new government and later join the PPP, the government had not only failed to announce a development package for the backward district but also frozen the already announced funds.
The MNA said if the government failed to release the funds on a priority basis its credibility in Chitral, once a PPP stronghold, would further erode. He said community representatives and the SRSP were also planning to move courts against freezing of the funds, adding: “they would definitely win the case because the projects had been launched under an agreement signed by the KPP, SRSP and the local communities.”
Suicide blast at Marriott Islamabad
A severe suicide blast has hit the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. Reports said the hotel's dinning hall has collapsed and the building is under fire. Large numbers of casulaties are feared. The blast occurred at about 8.10pm. People are said to be stranded in the hotel after the blast.
Funds for Yarkhun bridge released
Arrangements to restart work on the collapsed bridge connecting the Yarkhun valley with other parts of the district have been finalized and work on the project will start soon.
This was stated by MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin while talking to this correspondent in Islamabad on Friday.
He said funds for the Rs7 million project had been received and the contractor was awaiting the water level to decrease to initiate work. The construction work at the site was stopped after drilling a few bores when the water level increased in May this year. The bridge was destroyed by flooding in the river in August 2006.
This was stated by MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin while talking to this correspondent in Islamabad on Friday.
He said funds for the Rs7 million project had been received and the contractor was awaiting the water level to decrease to initiate work. The construction work at the site was stopped after drilling a few bores when the water level increased in May this year. The bridge was destroyed by flooding in the river in August 2006.
Decision to cancel Chitral festival slammed
By Sadia Qasim Shah
PESHAWAR: Residents of Chitral valley are disappointed at the NWFP government’s decision for not holding the Jashn-i-Chitral annual festival next month.
At a time when one of the most sought-after tourist destinations, Swat valley, has become like a ‘no-go’ area for local and foreign tourists due to clashes between security forces and militants, the peaceful Chitral valley has immense potential to attract tourists, local tourist operators said.
Shamsuddin, chief Chitral Association for Mountainous Areas Tourism who also heads the management committee for the festival, said that when they heard that the event was being ‘cancelled’ due to law and order situation in other districts, “it really disheartened us”.
A week earlier, the provincial government had planned to hold the festival from October 11-15 and Syed Aqil Shah, provincial minister for tourism and culture, while presiding over a meeting to review the arrangements for the event announced that NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti would be invited to watch the final football match as chief guest.
The Sarhad Tourism Corporation (STC) had offered to introduce a new track at Kalash valley as well as a trout fishing competition for tourists on the occasion. However, after consultations with the district government, first it was cancelled and later decided to ‘postpone’ the event in view of security situation in Dir and Swat.
The locals of Chitral called it a ‘politicised’ and unwise decision. One local, associated with the tourism business, said that District Nazim Maghfirat Shah hailed from the conservative Jamaat-i-Islami and, therefore, he was not in favour of holding the event. However, the district nazim, despite repeated phone calls, could not be contacted for comments.
DCO Mukhtasim Billah Shah said that Chitral was a peaceful valley and holding such events was healthy activity. However, he said the provincial government was consulting the district government on holding the event as the main organiser was the provincial government.
Earlier, residents said, it was the Broghil festival which got cancelled due to security concerns and now “it is the Jashn-i-Chitral, which has been postponed by the government”. This would deprive the people of Chitral who depend on tourism and such events provided them opportunities to earn their livelihood, they added.
The festival has been celebrated in the valley for the last four years. It comprises various activities including tug-of-war, cultural and music shows, poetry sessions, traditional dances and adventure tourism events. It is being planned by the provincial sports, tourism and culture department with the support of the district government.
“If an event provides a healthy environment to the youth and income generation opportunity to the locals and encourages development projects, there seems no reason not to hold it,” said Shamsuddin. He said that the festival, which was not held for 20 years, was revived in 2004 and held successfully every year since then. “Majority of the people of the area are poor and this is an income generating opportunity for them,” he said.
He said that Chitral was a peaceful tourist destination, which was beautiful and peaceful. “When there is peace in Chitral, then why not to hold the festival,” he said, adding that there was no logical reason for cancelling or postponing the event. He said that locals associated with the tourism industry were making preparation to hold the festival despite the government’s recent decision.
“It does not suite us to hold a festival when the situation in Swat and Dir districts is not good,” said Provincial Minister Syed Aqil Shah, adding that the Jashn-i-Chitral had been postponed until indefinite period.--Dawn
PESHAWAR: Residents of Chitral valley are disappointed at the NWFP government’s decision for not holding the Jashn-i-Chitral annual festival next month.
At a time when one of the most sought-after tourist destinations, Swat valley, has become like a ‘no-go’ area for local and foreign tourists due to clashes between security forces and militants, the peaceful Chitral valley has immense potential to attract tourists, local tourist operators said.
Shamsuddin, chief Chitral Association for Mountainous Areas Tourism who also heads the management committee for the festival, said that when they heard that the event was being ‘cancelled’ due to law and order situation in other districts, “it really disheartened us”.
A week earlier, the provincial government had planned to hold the festival from October 11-15 and Syed Aqil Shah, provincial minister for tourism and culture, while presiding over a meeting to review the arrangements for the event announced that NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti would be invited to watch the final football match as chief guest.
The Sarhad Tourism Corporation (STC) had offered to introduce a new track at Kalash valley as well as a trout fishing competition for tourists on the occasion. However, after consultations with the district government, first it was cancelled and later decided to ‘postpone’ the event in view of security situation in Dir and Swat.
The locals of Chitral called it a ‘politicised’ and unwise decision. One local, associated with the tourism business, said that District Nazim Maghfirat Shah hailed from the conservative Jamaat-i-Islami and, therefore, he was not in favour of holding the event. However, the district nazim, despite repeated phone calls, could not be contacted for comments.
DCO Mukhtasim Billah Shah said that Chitral was a peaceful valley and holding such events was healthy activity. However, he said the provincial government was consulting the district government on holding the event as the main organiser was the provincial government.
Earlier, residents said, it was the Broghil festival which got cancelled due to security concerns and now “it is the Jashn-i-Chitral, which has been postponed by the government”. This would deprive the people of Chitral who depend on tourism and such events provided them opportunities to earn their livelihood, they added.
The festival has been celebrated in the valley for the last four years. It comprises various activities including tug-of-war, cultural and music shows, poetry sessions, traditional dances and adventure tourism events. It is being planned by the provincial sports, tourism and culture department with the support of the district government.
“If an event provides a healthy environment to the youth and income generation opportunity to the locals and encourages development projects, there seems no reason not to hold it,” said Shamsuddin. He said that the festival, which was not held for 20 years, was revived in 2004 and held successfully every year since then. “Majority of the people of the area are poor and this is an income generating opportunity for them,” he said.
He said that Chitral was a peaceful tourist destination, which was beautiful and peaceful. “When there is peace in Chitral, then why not to hold the festival,” he said, adding that there was no logical reason for cancelling or postponing the event. He said that locals associated with the tourism industry were making preparation to hold the festival despite the government’s recent decision.
“It does not suite us to hold a festival when the situation in Swat and Dir districts is not good,” said Provincial Minister Syed Aqil Shah, adding that the Jashn-i-Chitral had been postponed until indefinite period.--Dawn
Friday, September 19, 2008
Flashfloods damage schools in Reshun
CHITRAL: Torrential rains and floods late Wednesday night wreaked havoc in Mastuj tehsil especially in Reshun and its surrounding areas.
The residents said flashfloods inundated a number of villages including Booni, Grimlasht and Reshun.
The floods washed away five rooms of Government Girls High School in Reshun and filled the remaining rooms with rubble. The floods also damaged a primary school for boys which had also been affected by floods last year. The flood also destroyed maize crops and damaged embankments of various canals affecting the irrigation system.
The Chitral-Booni road remained closed due to the floods creating inconvenience for commuters and transporters.
The residents said flashfloods inundated a number of villages including Booni, Grimlasht and Reshun.
The floods washed away five rooms of Government Girls High School in Reshun and filled the remaining rooms with rubble. The floods also damaged a primary school for boys which had also been affected by floods last year. The flood also destroyed maize crops and damaged embankments of various canals affecting the irrigation system.
The Chitral-Booni road remained closed due to the floods creating inconvenience for commuters and transporters.
MNA's decision to join PPP hailed
CHITRAL: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chitral office-bearers on Thursday appreciated MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin’s support to Asif Ali Zardari in the presidential election.
In a joint statement issued here, Engineer Taimur Shah, former coordination secretary PPP, Iqbal Murad, former president People's Students Federation and general secretary People's Youth Organisation said the decision by Shahzada Mohiuddin to join the PPP would strengthen the party’s vote bank in one of the party's strongholds.
They hoped that Mr Mohiuddin would play a vital role in the development of the district while contributing to strengthening the party base.
They said PPP had always respected its activists which was why the party had roots in all the four provinces. They said those preferring their personal interests to party’s priorities were not sincere with the party.
They demanded that President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani should include Shahzada Mohiuddin in the federal cabinet and also announce a special package for development of Chitral.
In a joint statement issued here, Engineer Taimur Shah, former coordination secretary PPP, Iqbal Murad, former president People's Students Federation and general secretary People's Youth Organisation said the decision by Shahzada Mohiuddin to join the PPP would strengthen the party’s vote bank in one of the party's strongholds.
They hoped that Mr Mohiuddin would play a vital role in the development of the district while contributing to strengthening the party base.
They said PPP had always respected its activists which was why the party had roots in all the four provinces. They said those preferring their personal interests to party’s priorities were not sincere with the party.
They demanded that President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani should include Shahzada Mohiuddin in the federal cabinet and also announce a special package for development of Chitral.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Jashn-i-Chitral cancelled
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
A meeting held here on Wednesday decided to cancel Jashn-i-Chitral, scheduled to commence from Oct 12, due to the tense situation in the neighbouring districts.
District Nazim Maghfirat Shah said that the meeting presided over by him and attended by local heads of different political parties had unanimously decided that it was not appropriate time to make jubilations in the district when the situation in the neighbouring districts was going from bad to worse.
The provincial department of tourism had decided to hold the fair to attract tourists to the area and the chief minister was to participate in the concluding ceremony.
The nazim said he would inform the provincial government about the meeting decision and ask for formal cancellation of the event.
He said the visit of the chief minister to the district would take place as per schedule and all political parties had agreed to give him a warm welcome. He said the chief minister had accepted a request of the district government for visiting different areas of the district to apprise himself about problems faced by their residents.
A meeting held here on Wednesday decided to cancel Jashn-i-Chitral, scheduled to commence from Oct 12, due to the tense situation in the neighbouring districts.
District Nazim Maghfirat Shah said that the meeting presided over by him and attended by local heads of different political parties had unanimously decided that it was not appropriate time to make jubilations in the district when the situation in the neighbouring districts was going from bad to worse.
The provincial department of tourism had decided to hold the fair to attract tourists to the area and the chief minister was to participate in the concluding ceremony.
The nazim said he would inform the provincial government about the meeting decision and ask for formal cancellation of the event.
He said the visit of the chief minister to the district would take place as per schedule and all political parties had agreed to give him a warm welcome. He said the chief minister had accepted a request of the district government for visiting different areas of the district to apprise himself about problems faced by their residents.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
British paraglider injured in Chitral
By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL: A British national, Bowel Rupert, sustained serious injuries while paragliding here on Tuesday.
Sources said the British national was paragliding at a height of 14,000 above sea level at Mulkhow in upper Chitral along with American and Spanish paragliders when a strong wind hit them. As a result, the British national failed to maintain his balance and fell to the ground.
He was taken to Aga Khan Hospital at Booni in precarious condition from where he was removed to Islamabad by a helicopter.
CHITRAL: A British national, Bowel Rupert, sustained serious injuries while paragliding here on Tuesday.
Sources said the British national was paragliding at a height of 14,000 above sea level at Mulkhow in upper Chitral along with American and Spanish paragliders when a strong wind hit them. As a result, the British national failed to maintain his balance and fell to the ground.
He was taken to Aga Khan Hospital at Booni in precarious condition from where he was removed to Islamabad by a helicopter.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Two-month marble mosaic training workshop begins
CHITRAL: An inaugural ceremony of marble mosaic training workshop was held at Community Hall Balach in which Maghfirat Shah, District Nazim Chitral, was the chief guest.
The ceremony started with the recitation from the holy Quran by a participant followed by introduction. Muneera Sultana, coordinator training, welcomed the district Nazim and Tehsil Nazim Chitral and appreciated efforts of elected representatives on behalf of participants. She hoped that participants of the training will cooperate with the trainers.
Nahida Aman, trainer of Pakistan Stone Development Company (PASDEC), briefed the participants about objective of the training and its importance for skill development of women. She hoped that the participants will fully spare their time to learn new initiative.
The Tehsil Nazim informed the participants that he had gained experienced to work with women community during his association with Aurat Foundation and was always in quest for new initiate for development of women. He informed the participants that the TMA Chitral has signed a MoU with PASDEC to introduce innovative initiate for women community to improve economic condition. He thanked Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) and HASHOO Foundation Chitral for cooperation and support. He requested the HASHOO Foundation to facilitate in personnel skills development including presentation skill of the participants during training workshop. He asked the participants that they should ensure their participation during the two months training.
Ms Nasreen, Gender Development Officer (GAD) AKRSP Chitral, appreciated the efforts made by the District and Tehsil Nazims Chitral for improvement of women in the area. He briefed the participants that the AKRSP Chitral had been working in close collaboration with the line departments and other stakeholders for the last many years and had successfully completed many initiatives. One of the objectives of the organization is empowerment of women community, she added. She appreciated the present local government system and said they have opportunities to share their problems directly to elected representatives.
Bibi Sharifa, Programme Associate Hashoo Foundation Chitral, thanked the nazims for organizing the most important training for the neglected community. She stressed that the trainers should focus their attention on training and hoped that the participants will be able to learn more and will adopt as income generating purpose practically. She said HASHOO Foundation will provide all possible help in skill development as proposed by the Tehsil Nazim Chitral.
The District Nazim appreciated the interest of Tehsil Nazim Chitral and told the participants that they had signed an MoU with SMEDA two years back to establish marble city in the area and provide training opportunities for women community. He said due to increase of population and unwise use of natural resources most of the natural resources have been destroyed and only marble is the available resource which can be utilized for improvement of economic condition of the area. She stressed the participants that they are representing 51% of community and it is up to them to train others after completion of the training.
The ceremony started with the recitation from the holy Quran by a participant followed by introduction. Muneera Sultana, coordinator training, welcomed the district Nazim and Tehsil Nazim Chitral and appreciated efforts of elected representatives on behalf of participants. She hoped that participants of the training will cooperate with the trainers.
Nahida Aman, trainer of Pakistan Stone Development Company (PASDEC), briefed the participants about objective of the training and its importance for skill development of women. She hoped that the participants will fully spare their time to learn new initiative.
The Tehsil Nazim informed the participants that he had gained experienced to work with women community during his association with Aurat Foundation and was always in quest for new initiate for development of women. He informed the participants that the TMA Chitral has signed a MoU with PASDEC to introduce innovative initiate for women community to improve economic condition. He thanked Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) and HASHOO Foundation Chitral for cooperation and support. He requested the HASHOO Foundation to facilitate in personnel skills development including presentation skill of the participants during training workshop. He asked the participants that they should ensure their participation during the two months training.
Ms Nasreen, Gender Development Officer (GAD) AKRSP Chitral, appreciated the efforts made by the District and Tehsil Nazims Chitral for improvement of women in the area. He briefed the participants that the AKRSP Chitral had been working in close collaboration with the line departments and other stakeholders for the last many years and had successfully completed many initiatives. One of the objectives of the organization is empowerment of women community, she added. She appreciated the present local government system and said they have opportunities to share their problems directly to elected representatives.
Bibi Sharifa, Programme Associate Hashoo Foundation Chitral, thanked the nazims for organizing the most important training for the neglected community. She stressed that the trainers should focus their attention on training and hoped that the participants will be able to learn more and will adopt as income generating purpose practically. She said HASHOO Foundation will provide all possible help in skill development as proposed by the Tehsil Nazim Chitral.
The District Nazim appreciated the interest of Tehsil Nazim Chitral and told the participants that they had signed an MoU with SMEDA two years back to establish marble city in the area and provide training opportunities for women community. He said due to increase of population and unwise use of natural resources most of the natural resources have been destroyed and only marble is the available resource which can be utilized for improvement of economic condition of the area. She stressed the participants that they are representing 51% of community and it is up to them to train others after completion of the training.
Friday, September 12, 2008
HR body elects office-bearers for Mastuj
Report GH Farooqui, Chitral
The Human Rights Monitoring Committee (HRMC) elected office-bearers for Mastuj to monitor human rights violations in the subdivision.
In this regrad, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Niaz Ali Shah, Project Coordinator of Easy & Equitable Access to Justice Program for women of Chitral. Ghulam Ali Shah Advocate, Mir Aziz Councilor of Union Council Mastuj, Shakira Naz, Ashrafi Bibi, Shahira Khan and others attended the meeting. They discussed different matters and called for establishment of a human rights monitoring committee (HRMC) in Mastuj. It was also decided that honorary members would be elected from far-flung areas of Mastuj Tehsil like Broghil, Yarkhun Lasht, etc to strengthen the network and to support and inform HRMC Mastuj office. A large number of women also attended the meeting which later elected the following office-bearers unopposed.
Shahira Khan, President; Ashrafi Bibi, Vice President; Asham Bibi, General Secretary; Mir Aziz, Press Secretary; Bibi Zar, Joint Secretary, and Shakira Naz, Finance Secretary.
The Human Rights Monitoring Committee (HRMC) elected office-bearers for Mastuj to monitor human rights violations in the subdivision.
In this regrad, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Niaz Ali Shah, Project Coordinator of Easy & Equitable Access to Justice Program for women of Chitral. Ghulam Ali Shah Advocate, Mir Aziz Councilor of Union Council Mastuj, Shakira Naz, Ashrafi Bibi, Shahira Khan and others attended the meeting. They discussed different matters and called for establishment of a human rights monitoring committee (HRMC) in Mastuj. It was also decided that honorary members would be elected from far-flung areas of Mastuj Tehsil like Broghil, Yarkhun Lasht, etc to strengthen the network and to support and inform HRMC Mastuj office. A large number of women also attended the meeting which later elected the following office-bearers unopposed.
Shahira Khan, President; Ashrafi Bibi, Vice President; Asham Bibi, General Secretary; Mir Aziz, Press Secretary; Bibi Zar, Joint Secretary, and Shakira Naz, Finance Secretary.
Call to open passport office in Chitral
I would like to draw the attention of the Interior Ministry authorities towards the closure of computerised passport office in Kanju, Swat, due to military action since October, 2007. The then Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao had ordered to open a computerised passport office in Chitral and Gilgit to issue machine-readable passports. Both the offices were opened in November 2007. Despite spending huge money on the office and its staff the passport office in Chitral has not started functioning as yet. Sources privy to the Assistant Director NADRA passport office Chitral disclosed that the office will not start functioning until formal inauguration by the "boss" and we don't know who is the boss? And it is due to this negligence that hundreds of thousands of applicants for computerised passport are facing severe hardships. Therefore, it is requested that passport office Chitral may be made operational without formal inauguration because the "formal inauguration" was not the purpose of setting up this office 10 months ago.
Bashir Hussain Azad,
Chitral.
Bashir Hussain Azad,
Chitral.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
MPA seeks more uplift funds for Mastuj area
MPA seeks more funds for Mastuj area
PESHAWAR: Member of the NWFP Assembly from Chitral Ghulam Mohammad on Tuesday urged the provincial government to initiate uplift schemes in his underdeveloped constituency to bring it at a par with developed areas of the country.
“The people of Chitral expect the provincial government will launch massive uplift schemes in the area which is far behind in communication, health and education sectors,” the MPA elected on Pakistan Muslim League- Q ticket from PF-90 Chitral-11 said.
The MPA said the constituency from where he was elected to the NWFP Assembly spread over 8,500 square kilometers and the people were facing tremendous problems due to dilapidated conditions of roads.
“Only 52-kilometer road is metalled in the areas spreading over 8,500 square kilometers,” the MPA said. Likewise, lack of teaching staff in the existing government schools and medical staff in the health centers was also a big issue of the area, where the students and patients have to cover a long distance to reach their schools and hospital. He said there were school buildings but no teachers while the existing basic health units (BHUs), rural health centers (RHCs) and other hospitals in the district sans required staff. “There are only two doctors working in the 34-bedded Booni Hospital against the 11 sanctioned post of medical officers,” the legislator said.
NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has pledged to allocate extra fund for his constituency to improve communication system, he said despite in opposition I had supported the provincial government in passing the annual budget.
Ghulam Mohammad, who had been in active politics since 1986, said Chitral, is the most peaceful district of the province that had great potential of tourism and hydel power generation.
“If small dams and power generation houses are built in Yarkhun, Terich and Laspur valleys, Pakistan will be in a position to export electricity to the neighbouring countries,” the MPA claimed.
Ghulam Muhammad said the construction of Lowari Tunnel would not only permanently link Chitral with rest of the country but also help boost the economy of the district and province as well.
The MPA demanded of the government to metal the road from Mastuj to Lasht to further promote tourism in the area. “The development of roads in the area is crucial due to security reason in the fast changing geo-strategic situation,” the MPA added.
PESHAWAR: Member of the NWFP Assembly from Chitral Ghulam Mohammad on Tuesday urged the provincial government to initiate uplift schemes in his underdeveloped constituency to bring it at a par with developed areas of the country.
“The people of Chitral expect the provincial government will launch massive uplift schemes in the area which is far behind in communication, health and education sectors,” the MPA elected on Pakistan Muslim League- Q ticket from PF-90 Chitral-11 said.
The MPA said the constituency from where he was elected to the NWFP Assembly spread over 8,500 square kilometers and the people were facing tremendous problems due to dilapidated conditions of roads.
“Only 52-kilometer road is metalled in the areas spreading over 8,500 square kilometers,” the MPA said. Likewise, lack of teaching staff in the existing government schools and medical staff in the health centers was also a big issue of the area, where the students and patients have to cover a long distance to reach their schools and hospital. He said there were school buildings but no teachers while the existing basic health units (BHUs), rural health centers (RHCs) and other hospitals in the district sans required staff. “There are only two doctors working in the 34-bedded Booni Hospital against the 11 sanctioned post of medical officers,” the legislator said.
NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has pledged to allocate extra fund for his constituency to improve communication system, he said despite in opposition I had supported the provincial government in passing the annual budget.
Ghulam Mohammad, who had been in active politics since 1986, said Chitral, is the most peaceful district of the province that had great potential of tourism and hydel power generation.
“If small dams and power generation houses are built in Yarkhun, Terich and Laspur valleys, Pakistan will be in a position to export electricity to the neighbouring countries,” the MPA claimed.
Ghulam Muhammad said the construction of Lowari Tunnel would not only permanently link Chitral with rest of the country but also help boost the economy of the district and province as well.
The MPA demanded of the government to metal the road from Mastuj to Lasht to further promote tourism in the area. “The development of roads in the area is crucial due to security reason in the fast changing geo-strategic situation,” the MPA added.
Public library still a far cry in Chitral
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
Due to unavailability of land, the scheme of construction of a public library in the city was shifted to some other area, sources claimed here on Wednesday.
The provincial Department of Archives And Library had included it in the development plan during the last days of the former MMA government in the NWFP. The district government had to provide a piece of land, free of cost, as no provision was there for purchasing land.
According to the sources, the library department had approached the district nazim Chitral who requested to the revenue department to provide a piece of land near the DCO offices but it was reportedly turned down by the authorities without any reason.
“The district government failed to provide land to the department and the project was shelved or shifted to some other district where land was made available,” a source said.
The proposed library was designed on modern lines providing maximum facilities to students, children, women and general public having separate sections. The proposed multi-storied and magnificent proposed building of the library had also the facilities of computers and internet, the sources said.
Meanwhile, residents of Chitral have expressed anguish over the reported shelving of the project and said that the city had no public library which was a great dilemma for knowledge seekers.
They said that the facility was the longstanding demand of locals particularly students and the previous government had fulfilled the dream. They said that the state-owned land in front of the newly constructed Women Hospital should be provided for the purpose while the adjacent residential quarters of the British era, which were in ramshackle condition, must also be used for the proposed library.
Due to unavailability of land, the scheme of construction of a public library in the city was shifted to some other area, sources claimed here on Wednesday.
The provincial Department of Archives And Library had included it in the development plan during the last days of the former MMA government in the NWFP. The district government had to provide a piece of land, free of cost, as no provision was there for purchasing land.
According to the sources, the library department had approached the district nazim Chitral who requested to the revenue department to provide a piece of land near the DCO offices but it was reportedly turned down by the authorities without any reason.
“The district government failed to provide land to the department and the project was shelved or shifted to some other district where land was made available,” a source said.
The proposed library was designed on modern lines providing maximum facilities to students, children, women and general public having separate sections. The proposed multi-storied and magnificent proposed building of the library had also the facilities of computers and internet, the sources said.
Meanwhile, residents of Chitral have expressed anguish over the reported shelving of the project and said that the city had no public library which was a great dilemma for knowledge seekers.
They said that the facility was the longstanding demand of locals particularly students and the previous government had fulfilled the dream. They said that the state-owned land in front of the newly constructed Women Hospital should be provided for the purpose while the adjacent residential quarters of the British era, which were in ramshackle condition, must also be used for the proposed library.
Chitral farmers provided incentives
CHITRAL: The Strengthening of Livestock Project (SLSP) has provided tremendous incentives to local farmers to improve their livelihood by introducing scientific methods in the livestock sector.
Talking to this correspondent here on Tuesday, Director SLSP Dr Fazli Ghaffar said the European Union-funded project was launched few years ago which was meant to strengthen the livestock department to extend and improve its services.
He said that people keep sheep in many areas of the district including Garam Chashma, Kalash valley and upper Chitral, and the processing of wool was a problem for them while the project had solved it by setting up a wool processing unit in Garam Chashma. The superb quality of wool was purchased by mill owners from down districts on ‘exploitative’ rate of about Rs80 per kilogram in its raw form, he said.
“Now the processed and carded wool will be sold at price as high as Rs700 per kilogram and this will change the very destiny of the farmers,” he said and added that this would also encourage the farmers to raise more sheep and this would further promote cottage industry in the area.
Dr Ghaffar said that seeds of improved Australian sheep were also provided to farmers by the organisation to multiply the race. He said that 2,600 chicken of Irish breed were distributed among women farmers who would distribute the eggs to other farmers to proliferate the race.
He said that 31 veterinary assistants of the department were provided with motorcycles in the district to ensure their availability to the farmers at their doorstops when needed. He said that it was not possible for the field staff to reach the farmers due to the fact that the district was sparsely populated.
Instruments of different nature were also provided to the department to help it to cure the ailing livestock which the department was short of, he said. The community participatory approach was also being used by the project as the farmers had been organised under shepherd organisations at village level.
The farmers of these organisations were sent to the agricultural institutes outside the district to impart them extensive training on livestock keeping while many persons would also be sent to an institute in Sargodha to receive training on operating the machinery of wool processing unit, he added.--Zahiruddin
Talking to this correspondent here on Tuesday, Director SLSP Dr Fazli Ghaffar said the European Union-funded project was launched few years ago which was meant to strengthen the livestock department to extend and improve its services.
He said that people keep sheep in many areas of the district including Garam Chashma, Kalash valley and upper Chitral, and the processing of wool was a problem for them while the project had solved it by setting up a wool processing unit in Garam Chashma. The superb quality of wool was purchased by mill owners from down districts on ‘exploitative’ rate of about Rs80 per kilogram in its raw form, he said.
“Now the processed and carded wool will be sold at price as high as Rs700 per kilogram and this will change the very destiny of the farmers,” he said and added that this would also encourage the farmers to raise more sheep and this would further promote cottage industry in the area.
Dr Ghaffar said that seeds of improved Australian sheep were also provided to farmers by the organisation to multiply the race. He said that 2,600 chicken of Irish breed were distributed among women farmers who would distribute the eggs to other farmers to proliferate the race.
He said that 31 veterinary assistants of the department were provided with motorcycles in the district to ensure their availability to the farmers at their doorstops when needed. He said that it was not possible for the field staff to reach the farmers due to the fact that the district was sparsely populated.
Instruments of different nature were also provided to the department to help it to cure the ailing livestock which the department was short of, he said. The community participatory approach was also being used by the project as the farmers had been organised under shepherd organisations at village level.
The farmers of these organisations were sent to the agricultural institutes outside the district to impart them extensive training on livestock keeping while many persons would also be sent to an institute in Sargodha to receive training on operating the machinery of wool processing unit, he added.--Zahiruddin
PPP Chitral congratulates Zardari
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
The activists of the PPP held a meeting on the occasion of swearing in of President Asif Ali Zardari here on Tuesday.
Divisional information secretary of the party Iqbal Hayat, district general-secretary Mohammad Hakim and others said on the occasion that with the election of Mr Zardari, real democracy had returned to the country.
They said that the poor people across the country had pinned their hopes on the president “who had the capability of fulfilling their dreams into reality by fighting poverty which is the mission of Z. A. Bhutto”.
Meanwhile, the convener of Chitral Dost Muttahida Movement, Haji Sardar Mohammad Khan, has congratulated Mr Zardari on his election as president of the country.
In a press statement issued here on Tuesday, he expressed the hope that the newly-elected president would ensure reinstatement of the constitution in its original form and would restore the deposed judges. He said the president should face the challenge of terrorism without hurting national interests.
The activists of the PPP held a meeting on the occasion of swearing in of President Asif Ali Zardari here on Tuesday.
Divisional information secretary of the party Iqbal Hayat, district general-secretary Mohammad Hakim and others said on the occasion that with the election of Mr Zardari, real democracy had returned to the country.
They said that the poor people across the country had pinned their hopes on the president “who had the capability of fulfilling their dreams into reality by fighting poverty which is the mission of Z. A. Bhutto”.
Meanwhile, the convener of Chitral Dost Muttahida Movement, Haji Sardar Mohammad Khan, has congratulated Mr Zardari on his election as president of the country.
In a press statement issued here on Tuesday, he expressed the hope that the newly-elected president would ensure reinstatement of the constitution in its original form and would restore the deposed judges. He said the president should face the challenge of terrorism without hurting national interests.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Five-day Jashn-i-Chitral from Oct 11
PESHAWAR, Sept 8: NWFP Minister for Sports, Culture and Tourism Syed Aqil Shah has said Jashn-i-Chitral will be held with traditional zeal and enthusiasm from October 11 to October 15 wherein besides arranging programmes of tourists' interest like tug of war, folk music, poetry, traditional Chitrali dance and adventure tourism events, Chitral Youth Football Mela will also be held.
He expressed these views while presiding over a review meeting regarding arrangements for Jashn-i-Chitral 2008 at Peshawar on Monday.
Besides others, Secretary Sports NWFP Sahibzada Fazle Amin, Director General Sports Iltaf Umerzai, GM STC Mushtaq Khan and Chairman CAMAT Sirajul Mulk attended the meeting.
Syed Aqil Shah said for successful holding of the festival, arrangements should be started immediately.
He said on the last day of Jashn-i-Chitral, NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti would witness the final of Chitral Youth Football Mela as chief guest and distribute prizes among the players.
General Manager STC Mushtaq Khan informed the meeting that STC would introduce new track at Kalash valley as well as trout fishing competition for tourists on the occasion while through proper projection it could become the second biggest touristi event of NWFP after Shandur Mela.
An organizing committee under the chairmanship of Secretary Tourism was formed with Muhammad Ali Shah as its secretary , while GM STC, Director General Sports, a representative of NWFP Sports Department, two representatives of STC have been included in the sub-committee.
Syed Aqil Shah directed the Secretary Tourism and organizing secretary of the committee to present a detailed progamme about the festival within a week. The minister said the age of players wishing to participate in the Mela should not exceed 25 years.
He said NWFP Football Association would provide technical backup on the occasion of football mela. He said in future the property of STC would be given on lease for a longer period as in past the lease time of three years had proved harmful for the property.--APP
He expressed these views while presiding over a review meeting regarding arrangements for Jashn-i-Chitral 2008 at Peshawar on Monday.
Besides others, Secretary Sports NWFP Sahibzada Fazle Amin, Director General Sports Iltaf Umerzai, GM STC Mushtaq Khan and Chairman CAMAT Sirajul Mulk attended the meeting.
Syed Aqil Shah said for successful holding of the festival, arrangements should be started immediately.
He said on the last day of Jashn-i-Chitral, NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti would witness the final of Chitral Youth Football Mela as chief guest and distribute prizes among the players.
General Manager STC Mushtaq Khan informed the meeting that STC would introduce new track at Kalash valley as well as trout fishing competition for tourists on the occasion while through proper projection it could become the second biggest touristi event of NWFP after Shandur Mela.
An organizing committee under the chairmanship of Secretary Tourism was formed with Muhammad Ali Shah as its secretary , while GM STC, Director General Sports, a representative of NWFP Sports Department, two representatives of STC have been included in the sub-committee.
Syed Aqil Shah directed the Secretary Tourism and organizing secretary of the committee to present a detailed progamme about the festival within a week. The minister said the age of players wishing to participate in the Mela should not exceed 25 years.
He said NWFP Football Association would provide technical backup on the occasion of football mela. He said in future the property of STC would be given on lease for a longer period as in past the lease time of three years had proved harmful for the property.--APP
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Who killed 'em?
By Anjum Niaz
We’ll never know why the 10-year-old Akbar ran after his father to stop him from going to Rawalpindi. Did he have a premonition?
Ashraf Liaquat Ali Khan, older by four years, remembers how his parents celebrated his 14th birthday at the then PM House in Karachi, barely two weeks before his father was assassinated.
“My whole class at Karachi Grammar School was invited.” Does Ashraf know who killed his father, now that new revelations blaming America surfaced in Washington when certain documents were declassified in 2006? “Was it really the Americans?” He can’t say, but “America wanted my father’s help in subduing the Iranians as they wanted Iranian oil. But he refused.” Adding another twist to the mystery, Ashraf tells me, “The plane carrying the inquiry officer on board who had the answers to who killed my father was blown to smithereens in midair. We were told that there was no other copy of the investigation.”
Was Army Chief General Asif Nawaz poisoned? If you talk to his brother Shuja Nawaz, author of Crossed Swords, you get the idea that he was. If you talk to General ( retd) Naseeruallah Babar, you’re told in no uncertain words that he was not. And if you talk to an army doctor who was connected with the case, you get a whole new dimension.
Who killed Benazir Bhutto? If you believe her widower Asif Zardari, you’d agree with him that the establishment had a hand and therefore only a UN inquiry costing the taxpayers millions of dollars can solve the mystery. If you talk to a head of a security firm in Karachi who was asked to provide the armoured SUV’s (sports utility vehicles) for Benazir Bhutto you’re told that Rehman Malik asked for sun roofs to be installed in the cars. Every security firm in Pakistan responded with an emphatic ‘No.’ Said one, “How can an armoured car have a sun roof? The whole idea of security is killed. Think about it,” they argue.
Who killed Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan? “Right up to the day my mother died, she wanted to know who killed my father,” says Ashraf. If you read the declassified documents on the Internet, you discover that America was behind the murder. And if you ask Ashraf again if the Indians did it, he quotes his mother, Begum Ra’ana Liaquat who was pointedly told by the bigwigs in India that they had no hand in the foul play. If you ask around you’re told by some that the politicians of those days in cahoots with the army had the first prime minister of Pakistan eliminated.
Confusion worst confounded.
Still, it’s the right of every Pakistani to ask who killed the above three VVIPs. We draw a blank from our establishment in BB’s case while the establishment has conveniently closed its files on Liaquat Ali Khan’s assassination and General Asif Nawaz’s sudden death. In the former’s case, we don’t have an answer from the establishment, while in the latter’s case, the government has told us that the Army Chief died of a heart attack.Brother Shuja Nawaz - journalist, military analyst and author was in Islamabad recently from Washington. In his book Crossed Swords, he has reproduced anonymous letters written by the staff serving Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who allege that they would dust the dinner plates with arsenic powder every time Asif Nawaz came for a meal at the PM’s house. Furthermore, the author has reproduced in full the forensic reports of well known doctors based on an examination of the deceased’s hair. Their verdict: Asif Nawaz had high levels of arsenic in his blood that could kill. General ( retd) Babar called me up from Peshawar to refute the claim, saying he sent samples to France and Russia which were negative.
Whom does one believe? I ask Shuja Nawaz. He thinks Naseerullah Babar’s memory is playing tricks. “Where did he get hold of my brother’s hair?” he says, “We never gave it to him.” When I ask Babar, he tells me, “well, I’ve told you everything that there is to tell. Nawaz Sharif is innocent, there was no foul play but if the family (Shuja Nawaz ) doesn’t want to believe it, then it’s their personal affair.”
A retired brigadier who served in the army medical corps adds another dimension to the mystery. He says the late COAS was taking energy boosting pills that contained safe levels of arsenic. When I ask Shuja Nawaz, he hotly denies the story.
Talking about sensitivities, Ashraf Ali Khan recalls the Christmas Day in 1947 when his father in a fit of anger sent in his resignation. His parents had been invited to celebrate Christmas with the Quaid and Miss Fatima Jinnah. “After lunch the Quaid took my father aside and asked him why Begum Ra’ana Liaquat did not sit on the same sofa where Miss Jinnah was sitting and why she had declined a glass of sherry which her host wanted her to partake of.
The Quaid was visibly annoyed. So, when my father came home he sent in his resignation!” Had the resignation been accepted, the first prime minister of Pakistan could have died a natural death, instead of being gunned down in Rawalpindi and leaving no clues behind of his murderers.--Dawn Magazine
We’ll never know why the 10-year-old Akbar ran after his father to stop him from going to Rawalpindi. Did he have a premonition?
Ashraf Liaquat Ali Khan, older by four years, remembers how his parents celebrated his 14th birthday at the then PM House in Karachi, barely two weeks before his father was assassinated.
“My whole class at Karachi Grammar School was invited.” Does Ashraf know who killed his father, now that new revelations blaming America surfaced in Washington when certain documents were declassified in 2006? “Was it really the Americans?” He can’t say, but “America wanted my father’s help in subduing the Iranians as they wanted Iranian oil. But he refused.” Adding another twist to the mystery, Ashraf tells me, “The plane carrying the inquiry officer on board who had the answers to who killed my father was blown to smithereens in midair. We were told that there was no other copy of the investigation.”
Was Army Chief General Asif Nawaz poisoned? If you talk to his brother Shuja Nawaz, author of Crossed Swords, you get the idea that he was. If you talk to General ( retd) Naseeruallah Babar, you’re told in no uncertain words that he was not. And if you talk to an army doctor who was connected with the case, you get a whole new dimension.
Who killed Benazir Bhutto? If you believe her widower Asif Zardari, you’d agree with him that the establishment had a hand and therefore only a UN inquiry costing the taxpayers millions of dollars can solve the mystery. If you talk to a head of a security firm in Karachi who was asked to provide the armoured SUV’s (sports utility vehicles) for Benazir Bhutto you’re told that Rehman Malik asked for sun roofs to be installed in the cars. Every security firm in Pakistan responded with an emphatic ‘No.’ Said one, “How can an armoured car have a sun roof? The whole idea of security is killed. Think about it,” they argue.
Who killed Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan? “Right up to the day my mother died, she wanted to know who killed my father,” says Ashraf. If you read the declassified documents on the Internet, you discover that America was behind the murder. And if you ask Ashraf again if the Indians did it, he quotes his mother, Begum Ra’ana Liaquat who was pointedly told by the bigwigs in India that they had no hand in the foul play. If you ask around you’re told by some that the politicians of those days in cahoots with the army had the first prime minister of Pakistan eliminated.
Confusion worst confounded.
Still, it’s the right of every Pakistani to ask who killed the above three VVIPs. We draw a blank from our establishment in BB’s case while the establishment has conveniently closed its files on Liaquat Ali Khan’s assassination and General Asif Nawaz’s sudden death. In the former’s case, we don’t have an answer from the establishment, while in the latter’s case, the government has told us that the Army Chief died of a heart attack.Brother Shuja Nawaz - journalist, military analyst and author was in Islamabad recently from Washington. In his book Crossed Swords, he has reproduced anonymous letters written by the staff serving Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who allege that they would dust the dinner plates with arsenic powder every time Asif Nawaz came for a meal at the PM’s house. Furthermore, the author has reproduced in full the forensic reports of well known doctors based on an examination of the deceased’s hair. Their verdict: Asif Nawaz had high levels of arsenic in his blood that could kill. General ( retd) Babar called me up from Peshawar to refute the claim, saying he sent samples to France and Russia which were negative.
Whom does one believe? I ask Shuja Nawaz. He thinks Naseerullah Babar’s memory is playing tricks. “Where did he get hold of my brother’s hair?” he says, “We never gave it to him.” When I ask Babar, he tells me, “well, I’ve told you everything that there is to tell. Nawaz Sharif is innocent, there was no foul play but if the family (Shuja Nawaz ) doesn’t want to believe it, then it’s their personal affair.”
A retired brigadier who served in the army medical corps adds another dimension to the mystery. He says the late COAS was taking energy boosting pills that contained safe levels of arsenic. When I ask Shuja Nawaz, he hotly denies the story.
Talking about sensitivities, Ashraf Ali Khan recalls the Christmas Day in 1947 when his father in a fit of anger sent in his resignation. His parents had been invited to celebrate Christmas with the Quaid and Miss Fatima Jinnah. “After lunch the Quaid took my father aside and asked him why Begum Ra’ana Liaquat did not sit on the same sofa where Miss Jinnah was sitting and why she had declined a glass of sherry which her host wanted her to partake of.
The Quaid was visibly annoyed. So, when my father came home he sent in his resignation!” Had the resignation been accepted, the first prime minister of Pakistan could have died a natural death, instead of being gunned down in Rawalpindi and leaving no clues behind of his murderers.--Dawn Magazine
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Trophy hunting becomes vital conservation tool
ISLAMABAD: The concept of hunting and shooting animals for sport would strike many as barbaric. That is even truer of trophy hunting where the objective was not food but handsome heads or sets of horns to decorate walls.
Sad and pathetic it may be but trophy hunting is now considered a vital conservation tool to help conserve threatened species and their habitats in Pakistan's Northern Areas where flame-horned markhor, Ibex and blue sheep, to mention some, flourished.
Found at altitudes ranging from 8,000 to 13,000 feet in the Himalayas, flame-horned markhor risked extinction the most due to habitat destruction and illegal hunting with sophisticated weapons. However, due to conservation efforts and a new preservation tool, trophy hunting, markhor figures rose from 1,000 to an estimated 1,500 in 2008.
This controversial leisure industry (or trophy hunting) had drawn attention to these areas, locally and internationally, from the USA, Spain and Germany. Hunters are now tramping through rough country and enjoying the thrill of the chase, keeping still upwind and lining up for the perfect shot.
This year, US-based Pakistani Syedullah Khan Piracha paid $55,000 trophy hunting fee, the highest ever collected to hunt markhor. Last year, a German hunter had paid $40,000 to hunt down a flame-horned markhor. Simply put, hunters are paying more and more for exotic animals to be kept alive – which had to be a good thing.
“Managed properly, trophy hunting can provide a source of jobs and incomes and so gives local communities a reason to protect wildlife and habitats that might otherwise be lost to deforestation and illegal hunting etc,” said Dr Mayoor Khan who is Programme Manager Wildlife Conservation Society.
Dr Khan, who has done his PhD in status and distribution and conservation of flare-horned markhor in Northern Areas and Kohistan from Karachi University, said trophy hunting was a well-thought concept to protect endangered animals like the flare-horned markhor or ibex and blue sheep in Pakistan.
Dr Khan believed that bringing local communities on board had played significant role in conservation of wildlife and its habitat.
“The community keeps some 80 per cent of their share of trophy hunting fees and the rest goes to the government. Their share runs into hundreds of thousands of rupees. The practice saves resources. It provides alternate incentives, gives them a sense of responsibility and ownership to protect wildlife and its habitat.”
According to restrictions laid down by the government, international conservation NGOs and wildlife experts in this joint venture, hunting season opens once a year. Hunters were permitted to kill three animals last year. And only four hunters were permitted to hunt this year, Dr Khan said as he explained the thrill of paying to kill an animal.
“Trophy hunting did not affect animal population. Certain areas have been declared off limits. And hunters are allowed to hunt only if there is a trophy hunting size animal available in the wild. Hunters can kill eight blue sheep and 50 ibex for a price that goes up during biddings,” said Mohammad Jamil who is chairman Mountain Conservation and Development Programme (MCDP).
“The Northern Areas are considered one of the most important stronghold areas for these vulnerable species. The MCDP’s role is critical in working to conserve the markhor, the ibex and other animals,” Jamil said.
Sad and pathetic it may be but trophy hunting is now considered a vital conservation tool to help conserve threatened species and their habitats in Pakistan's Northern Areas where flame-horned markhor, Ibex and blue sheep, to mention some, flourished.
Found at altitudes ranging from 8,000 to 13,000 feet in the Himalayas, flame-horned markhor risked extinction the most due to habitat destruction and illegal hunting with sophisticated weapons. However, due to conservation efforts and a new preservation tool, trophy hunting, markhor figures rose from 1,000 to an estimated 1,500 in 2008.
This controversial leisure industry (or trophy hunting) had drawn attention to these areas, locally and internationally, from the USA, Spain and Germany. Hunters are now tramping through rough country and enjoying the thrill of the chase, keeping still upwind and lining up for the perfect shot.
This year, US-based Pakistani Syedullah Khan Piracha paid $55,000 trophy hunting fee, the highest ever collected to hunt markhor. Last year, a German hunter had paid $40,000 to hunt down a flame-horned markhor. Simply put, hunters are paying more and more for exotic animals to be kept alive – which had to be a good thing.
“Managed properly, trophy hunting can provide a source of jobs and incomes and so gives local communities a reason to protect wildlife and habitats that might otherwise be lost to deforestation and illegal hunting etc,” said Dr Mayoor Khan who is Programme Manager Wildlife Conservation Society.
Dr Khan, who has done his PhD in status and distribution and conservation of flare-horned markhor in Northern Areas and Kohistan from Karachi University, said trophy hunting was a well-thought concept to protect endangered animals like the flare-horned markhor or ibex and blue sheep in Pakistan.
Dr Khan believed that bringing local communities on board had played significant role in conservation of wildlife and its habitat.
“The community keeps some 80 per cent of their share of trophy hunting fees and the rest goes to the government. Their share runs into hundreds of thousands of rupees. The practice saves resources. It provides alternate incentives, gives them a sense of responsibility and ownership to protect wildlife and its habitat.”
According to restrictions laid down by the government, international conservation NGOs and wildlife experts in this joint venture, hunting season opens once a year. Hunters were permitted to kill three animals last year. And only four hunters were permitted to hunt this year, Dr Khan said as he explained the thrill of paying to kill an animal.
“Trophy hunting did not affect animal population. Certain areas have been declared off limits. And hunters are allowed to hunt only if there is a trophy hunting size animal available in the wild. Hunters can kill eight blue sheep and 50 ibex for a price that goes up during biddings,” said Mohammad Jamil who is chairman Mountain Conservation and Development Programme (MCDP).
“The Northern Areas are considered one of the most important stronghold areas for these vulnerable species. The MCDP’s role is critical in working to conserve the markhor, the ibex and other animals,” Jamil said.
Asif Zardari elected President of Pakistan
Pakistan's Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday was elected President of Pakistan for a term of five years after he defeated his opponents from PML-N and PML-Q. According to the unofficial results, out of the total 702 votes of the electoral college, Zardari secured 479 votes. He got 281 from Parliament, 22 from Punjab, 64 from Sindh, 59 from Balochistan and 56 from NWFP.
The electoral college for President comprises the Senate (upper house), National Assembly of Pakistan (the lower house) and four provincial assemblies.
Justice retired Saeeduzaman Siddique of the PML-N got 153 and Mushahid Hussain of the PML-Q got 43 votes.
The presidential elections were held after resignation of President Pervez Musharraf on August 18.
In the Senate and National Assembly, Zardari, who heads the ruling Pakistan People's Party as its co-chairman after the assasination of his wife Benazir Bhutto on December 27, 2007, secured 281 votes, Justice Saeeduzaman Siddique 11 and 34 votes went to Mushahid Hussain Sayed. A total of 436 votes were polled, of which ten were declared invalid. The National Assembly has 342 and Senate 100 members.
He also got majority of votes in NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan. Zardari secured 123 in Punjab Assembly, 162 in Sindh Assembly, 107 in NWFP, and 59 in Balochistan Assembly. None of his rivals could score a vote in teh Sindh assembly.
His rival Saeeduzaman Siddique got 201 votes in Punjab Assembly, none from Sindh, 10 from NWFP and 2 from Balochistan Assembly.
Mushahid got 36 from Punjab Assembly, none from Sindh, three from NWFP and two from Balochistan Assembly. Zardari will take oath of his office on September 7.
The electoral college for President comprises the Senate (upper house), National Assembly of Pakistan (the lower house) and four provincial assemblies.
Justice retired Saeeduzaman Siddique of the PML-N got 153 and Mushahid Hussain of the PML-Q got 43 votes.
The presidential elections were held after resignation of President Pervez Musharraf on August 18.
In the Senate and National Assembly, Zardari, who heads the ruling Pakistan People's Party as its co-chairman after the assasination of his wife Benazir Bhutto on December 27, 2007, secured 281 votes, Justice Saeeduzaman Siddique 11 and 34 votes went to Mushahid Hussain Sayed. A total of 436 votes were polled, of which ten were declared invalid. The National Assembly has 342 and Senate 100 members.
He also got majority of votes in NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan. Zardari secured 123 in Punjab Assembly, 162 in Sindh Assembly, 107 in NWFP, and 59 in Balochistan Assembly. None of his rivals could score a vote in teh Sindh assembly.
His rival Saeeduzaman Siddique got 201 votes in Punjab Assembly, none from Sindh, 10 from NWFP and 2 from Balochistan Assembly.
Mushahid got 36 from Punjab Assembly, none from Sindh, three from NWFP and two from Balochistan Assembly. Zardari will take oath of his office on September 7.
Kalash village threatened by floods
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
THE Krakal village of Bumburate valley faces potential danger of flashfloods which will sweep away not only the houses but also obliterate their cultural center, The residents of the valley said. They said the flashfloods after torrential rains two days ago had hit the village which was the center of Kalash cultural activities where there is the grand place of worship of the Kalash people (Jastakhan) situated where the Kalash people from all the three Kalash valleys of Bumburate, Birir and Rumbur assemble on the occasion of festivals.
They said the upgradation and renovation of the jastakhan by the government is in progress at a cost of Rs4 million. The Kalash people said that other buildings of cultural importance are also present in the settlement which included Bashaleni, a maternity home of the community. They said that the flood has damaged a number of houses on the hillside and by next time it will play havoc with the houses and its inhabitants.
Kalash residents Durdana Bibi and Faizi Khan said that the destruction of the village meant the destruction of the Kalash culture as a whole. They said that due to its cultural importance, the village was chosen three years ago as a venue where former president Pervaiz Musharraf arrived to meet the Kalash community. They demanded that check dams should immediately be erected on emergency basis on the hills above the village to contain the mud sliding during the torrential rains.
THE Krakal village of Bumburate valley faces potential danger of flashfloods which will sweep away not only the houses but also obliterate their cultural center, The residents of the valley said. They said the flashfloods after torrential rains two days ago had hit the village which was the center of Kalash cultural activities where there is the grand place of worship of the Kalash people (Jastakhan) situated where the Kalash people from all the three Kalash valleys of Bumburate, Birir and Rumbur assemble on the occasion of festivals.
They said the upgradation and renovation of the jastakhan by the government is in progress at a cost of Rs4 million. The Kalash people said that other buildings of cultural importance are also present in the settlement which included Bashaleni, a maternity home of the community. They said that the flood has damaged a number of houses on the hillside and by next time it will play havoc with the houses and its inhabitants.
Kalash residents Durdana Bibi and Faizi Khan said that the destruction of the village meant the destruction of the Kalash culture as a whole. They said that due to its cultural importance, the village was chosen three years ago as a venue where former president Pervaiz Musharraf arrived to meet the Kalash community. They demanded that check dams should immediately be erected on emergency basis on the hills above the village to contain the mud sliding during the torrential rains.
Death on the Farang Bur
By Salman Rashid
Hayward knew once he had explored the Darkot Pass at the head of this valley and made it safely into the Pamirs over the Broghal, officialdom would come clamouring to his support. Then, as now, there was no dearth of men eager to bask in another man’s glory
Between the beginning of the 19TH century and well into the 20th, the two great imperial powers of the day played what was called the Great Game. The name, coined by Arthur Connolly, a Scottish captain in the service of the East India Company, was the euphemism for the struggle for the control of Asia by Britain and Russia. In June 1842, Connolly gave up his ghost in the town square of Bokhara to the executioner’s sword. But the Great Game lived on; sometimes chivalrous, mostly deadly.
By the time the last proponent had played out the final act of this lethal Game, death had brought immortality to many a man engaged in it. Among others, one was called George Whitaker Hayward. He died not very far from Gilgit and his remains today lie buried in the dappled sunshine of the Christian cemetery in that town. In 1990, I had hunted for his grave, but building material spilling over from an adjacent construction site had covered up the tombstone and I had come away thinking it had fallen victim to our insensitivity to history.
In Gilgit again in September 1994, I visited the graveyard and was surprised by the neat look it wore. The trees looked fresher, there was no building material, and the cemetery was spic and span. It was not difficult to notice Hayward’s tombstone among the few graves in this tiny walled in burial ground — only the inscription had fallen out of its place in the stele and had been fixed on the horizontal piece. Someone just before me had thoughtfully placed a small bouquet on the tomb.
It was about sundown and I was alone under the trees alive with birds. The tombstone reminded me that Hayward, too, was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS). I thought how I might have worked at the same desk where this first class explorer and surveyor may have planned his own last and fatal expedition almost a century and a half before me. My flesh crawled. I sat down and touched the tombstone and I could almost see George Hayward, the most pathetic of the Great Game heroes.
With RGS backing, Hayward explored the country around Kashgar before setting out to prove what he believed to be shortest route from Peshawar to the Pamirs: the trail over the 3700 metre high Broghal Pass in the extreme north of Chitral.
Meanwhile, he wrote a letter to The Pioneer, the most widely read English language newspaper of India of the day. In this he censured the Maharaja of Kashmir for gross atrocities committed in Yasin (west of Gilgit), of which he had heard from survivors themselves. The article made its way to the Maharaja who was incensed. To please the Maharaja and to avoid any unnecessary embarrassment, the Government of India drew away from Hayward and so too did his patron, RGS.
Despite the withdrawal of official support, Hayward arrived in Yasin on July 13, 1870 to pursue his Pamir Expedition. He knew once he had explored the Darkot Pass at the head of this valley and made it safely into the Pamirs over the Broghal, officialdom would come clamouring to his support. Then, as now, there was no dearth of men eager to bask in another man’s glory. But that was to be only when Hayward returned successful to India. It never was, because five days later Hayward was dead, hacked to pieces by the men of the chief of Yasin.
Few details of that grisly occurrence are known, making it one of the most abiding mysteries of the Great Game. Some say that that in Yasin, Hayward had a heated argument with the Chief, Mir Wali, on the question of the route he was to take to Broghal. Others allege that Mir Wali was taken over by greed when he noticed the valuable gifts the explorer was bearing for other overlords on the way. In the Orient things work strangely, and there is every possibility that the Maharaja of Kashmir, upset with Hayward over the matter of his correspondence with The Pioneer, may have connived with his erstwhile enemies from Yasin. Whatever it was, the truth has never been discovered.
Leaving Yasin and arriving at Darkot, two marches to the north, Hayward set up camp outside the village on a low hill by a stream. To this day the stream is known as Farang Bur — White Man’s Stream. It was the afternoon of July 17. Later that day he was surprised to learn that a party of armed men had arrived from Yasin. By exposing the Maharaja’s atrocities against these very people, Hayward believed, he had gained their favour and had no reason to fear violence at their hands. But even before the sun had set, Hayward had some inclination of impending treachery. This came from his servant who now told him that shortly before departure from Yasin, Mir Wali had incited him to desert. And so Hayward decided to remain awake through the night.
He forwent dinner and plied himself with tea as he sat alone in his tent writing by lamplight. On the table was a loaded revolver and across his knees lay his rifle. His camp slept. Outside there was no unusual sound. The night wore on peacefully until complacence took over. Just before dawn, the fatigue of the long vigil overcame him and Hayward put his head on the table to sleep. The men who had waited beyond the glow of his campfire were alert, however. They leapt into his camp; a short struggle followed and they were in control. Hayward was bound, a noose put around his neck and he and his servants were led into the forest.
It is said that Hayward tried to buy his freedom against the contents of his baggage. The men of Yasin pointed out to him that after killing him all that was anyway going to be theirs. Then, just as the first rays of the sun were beginning to light up the remote valley of Darkot, a single stroke of the sword beheaded Hayward, who believed that the shortest and easiest route to the Pamirs was over the Broghal Pass. Next went his servants and then his camp was looted.
Another account says that before he died he requested to be allowed to watch the sun come up over the mountains. And so with his hands bound behind his back, he walked to a small hillock and stood looking silently eastward. Done with his private ritual, he turned back and calmly said, ‘I am ready’. The sun, so far as George Whitaker Hayward was concerned, rose the last time on July 18, 1870.
Weeks later, Hayward’s body was recovered on the efforts of a British geologist working for the Maharaja of Kashmir. The burial took place in a small garden in Gilgit as soldiers fired three volleys for the departed explorer. It might have brought his spirit some peace to know that death — and not success, as he had hoped — had caused his re-adoption by RGS for the last line of the epitaph on the tomb in Gilgit reads, ‘This monument is erected to a gallant officer and accomplished traveller at the instance of the Royal Geographical Society.’--Courtesy Daily Times
Hayward knew once he had explored the Darkot Pass at the head of this valley and made it safely into the Pamirs over the Broghal, officialdom would come clamouring to his support. Then, as now, there was no dearth of men eager to bask in another man’s glory
Between the beginning of the 19TH century and well into the 20th, the two great imperial powers of the day played what was called the Great Game. The name, coined by Arthur Connolly, a Scottish captain in the service of the East India Company, was the euphemism for the struggle for the control of Asia by Britain and Russia. In June 1842, Connolly gave up his ghost in the town square of Bokhara to the executioner’s sword. But the Great Game lived on; sometimes chivalrous, mostly deadly.
By the time the last proponent had played out the final act of this lethal Game, death had brought immortality to many a man engaged in it. Among others, one was called George Whitaker Hayward. He died not very far from Gilgit and his remains today lie buried in the dappled sunshine of the Christian cemetery in that town. In 1990, I had hunted for his grave, but building material spilling over from an adjacent construction site had covered up the tombstone and I had come away thinking it had fallen victim to our insensitivity to history.
In Gilgit again in September 1994, I visited the graveyard and was surprised by the neat look it wore. The trees looked fresher, there was no building material, and the cemetery was spic and span. It was not difficult to notice Hayward’s tombstone among the few graves in this tiny walled in burial ground — only the inscription had fallen out of its place in the stele and had been fixed on the horizontal piece. Someone just before me had thoughtfully placed a small bouquet on the tomb.
It was about sundown and I was alone under the trees alive with birds. The tombstone reminded me that Hayward, too, was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS). I thought how I might have worked at the same desk where this first class explorer and surveyor may have planned his own last and fatal expedition almost a century and a half before me. My flesh crawled. I sat down and touched the tombstone and I could almost see George Hayward, the most pathetic of the Great Game heroes.
With RGS backing, Hayward explored the country around Kashgar before setting out to prove what he believed to be shortest route from Peshawar to the Pamirs: the trail over the 3700 metre high Broghal Pass in the extreme north of Chitral.
Meanwhile, he wrote a letter to The Pioneer, the most widely read English language newspaper of India of the day. In this he censured the Maharaja of Kashmir for gross atrocities committed in Yasin (west of Gilgit), of which he had heard from survivors themselves. The article made its way to the Maharaja who was incensed. To please the Maharaja and to avoid any unnecessary embarrassment, the Government of India drew away from Hayward and so too did his patron, RGS.
Despite the withdrawal of official support, Hayward arrived in Yasin on July 13, 1870 to pursue his Pamir Expedition. He knew once he had explored the Darkot Pass at the head of this valley and made it safely into the Pamirs over the Broghal, officialdom would come clamouring to his support. Then, as now, there was no dearth of men eager to bask in another man’s glory. But that was to be only when Hayward returned successful to India. It never was, because five days later Hayward was dead, hacked to pieces by the men of the chief of Yasin.
Few details of that grisly occurrence are known, making it one of the most abiding mysteries of the Great Game. Some say that that in Yasin, Hayward had a heated argument with the Chief, Mir Wali, on the question of the route he was to take to Broghal. Others allege that Mir Wali was taken over by greed when he noticed the valuable gifts the explorer was bearing for other overlords on the way. In the Orient things work strangely, and there is every possibility that the Maharaja of Kashmir, upset with Hayward over the matter of his correspondence with The Pioneer, may have connived with his erstwhile enemies from Yasin. Whatever it was, the truth has never been discovered.
Leaving Yasin and arriving at Darkot, two marches to the north, Hayward set up camp outside the village on a low hill by a stream. To this day the stream is known as Farang Bur — White Man’s Stream. It was the afternoon of July 17. Later that day he was surprised to learn that a party of armed men had arrived from Yasin. By exposing the Maharaja’s atrocities against these very people, Hayward believed, he had gained their favour and had no reason to fear violence at their hands. But even before the sun had set, Hayward had some inclination of impending treachery. This came from his servant who now told him that shortly before departure from Yasin, Mir Wali had incited him to desert. And so Hayward decided to remain awake through the night.
He forwent dinner and plied himself with tea as he sat alone in his tent writing by lamplight. On the table was a loaded revolver and across his knees lay his rifle. His camp slept. Outside there was no unusual sound. The night wore on peacefully until complacence took over. Just before dawn, the fatigue of the long vigil overcame him and Hayward put his head on the table to sleep. The men who had waited beyond the glow of his campfire were alert, however. They leapt into his camp; a short struggle followed and they were in control. Hayward was bound, a noose put around his neck and he and his servants were led into the forest.
It is said that Hayward tried to buy his freedom against the contents of his baggage. The men of Yasin pointed out to him that after killing him all that was anyway going to be theirs. Then, just as the first rays of the sun were beginning to light up the remote valley of Darkot, a single stroke of the sword beheaded Hayward, who believed that the shortest and easiest route to the Pamirs was over the Broghal Pass. Next went his servants and then his camp was looted.
Another account says that before he died he requested to be allowed to watch the sun come up over the mountains. And so with his hands bound behind his back, he walked to a small hillock and stood looking silently eastward. Done with his private ritual, he turned back and calmly said, ‘I am ready’. The sun, so far as George Whitaker Hayward was concerned, rose the last time on July 18, 1870.
Weeks later, Hayward’s body was recovered on the efforts of a British geologist working for the Maharaja of Kashmir. The burial took place in a small garden in Gilgit as soldiers fired three volleys for the departed explorer. It might have brought his spirit some peace to know that death — and not success, as he had hoped — had caused his re-adoption by RGS for the last line of the epitaph on the tomb in Gilgit reads, ‘This monument is erected to a gallant officer and accomplished traveller at the instance of the Royal Geographical Society.’--Courtesy Daily Times
Friday, September 5, 2008
Marble city planned in Chitral
A day-long seminar on development of marble and granite quarries of Chitral was held here at Zilla Council Hall. District Nazim Haji Maghfirat Shah was chief guest on the occasion while the ceremony was presided over by Sartaj Ahmad Khan, Tehsil Nazim Chitral.
Pakistan Stone Development Company (PASDEC) organized the awareness seminar. Tahir Shahab and Tofeeq Ahmad briefed the participants about cutting of marble with modern way.
They said that some 80% marble is wasted due to blasting. They said PASDEC wanted to introduce its new machinery with the collaboration of mine owners for maximum production and collection of marble in big size. He said his company has hired foreign experts and want to train local people for promoting the marble sector. A marble city as well as a marble-processing center will be set up in Chitral. They said Chitral has rich potential of standard quality of white marble which is more in demand in the world market. He said 25 girls will be trained in gems cutting and polishing. A sum of Rs90 million will be spent for this purpose to promote marble sector in the country. Besides, a marble warehouse will also be established in Chitral
Pakistan Stone Development Company (PASDEC) organized the awareness seminar. Tahir Shahab and Tofeeq Ahmad briefed the participants about cutting of marble with modern way.
They said that some 80% marble is wasted due to blasting. They said PASDEC wanted to introduce its new machinery with the collaboration of mine owners for maximum production and collection of marble in big size. He said his company has hired foreign experts and want to train local people for promoting the marble sector. A marble city as well as a marble-processing center will be set up in Chitral. They said Chitral has rich potential of standard quality of white marble which is more in demand in the world market. He said 25 girls will be trained in gems cutting and polishing. A sum of Rs90 million will be spent for this purpose to promote marble sector in the country. Besides, a marble warehouse will also be established in Chitral
Call to appoint doctors in health centres of Mastuj
THE residents of Mastuj have called upon the government to immediately appoint medical staff at the tehsil health centre of Mastuj and basic health centre of Brep to cater to the basic medical needs of the people.
They said equipment including an X-ray machine provided for the RHC were rusting due to non-utilization. The people said the medical establishments were the only means of health care facilities in the areas which remained cut off in winter due to blockade of roads. In winter, patients have to be shifted to Booni on foot as the BHU and THC remained without staff and other facilities.
They called upon the tehsil, district nazims and the DCO of Chitral to immediately take up the mater and ensure availability of doctors and medicines at the centres.—GH Farooqui
They said equipment including an X-ray machine provided for the RHC were rusting due to non-utilization. The people said the medical establishments were the only means of health care facilities in the areas which remained cut off in winter due to blockade of roads. In winter, patients have to be shifted to Booni on foot as the BHU and THC remained without staff and other facilities.
They called upon the tehsil, district nazims and the DCO of Chitral to immediately take up the mater and ensure availability of doctors and medicines at the centres.—GH Farooqui
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Awesome and rugged
Beauty of Chitral
Kishmanja, a beautiful village in Yarkhun valley
Lush green
DIZG: threatened by floods
The legendary village of Ayun in Chitral
On way to Bumburet
Dizg, Yarkhun
About Me
- Zar Alam Khan Razakhel
- Village Dizg, Yarkhun valley, Chitral, Pakistan
- I blog at http://chitraltoday.net (ChitralToday) about Chitral, its people, culture, traditions and issues. I have been writing about Chitral since 2000. Chitral is a scenic valley in the extreme north-west of Pakistan.