By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD, March 21, 2010: Literary figures and poets from Chitral have demanded that the government should take initiatives to protect their language and culture which have long been marginalised due to lack of patronage.
They were speaking at a literary function arranged by the Khyber News television channel in collaboration with the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) here on Saturday.
The speakers said Chitral was a treasure trove of ancient traditions and languages, stressing that out of about 30 languages in the NWFP, 14 were spoken in the Chitral. About 1.2 million people living in Chitral and some parts of Gilgit-Baltistan, besides many more around the world, speak the Khowar language.
The speakers regretted that no steps had ever been taken at the government level for protection and preservation of small languages and cultures in the district, which could help promote national integration and eliminate the sense of deprivation among the marginalised sections of society.
“Many of our ancient traditions particularly folk games, folk stories and practices have disappeared in the recent past and if the trend continued a day would come when we would lose our remaining vestige of the past, including our mother language,” they warned.
They said Chitralis at the individual level and under the umbrella of Anjuman Taraqi-i-Khowar had been working to preserve and protect the language. However, government departments and agencies, including the state-owned electronic media, always ignored Chitral as far as promotion of its cultures and language was concerned.
The speakers demanded that the government should open offices of the PAL and the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) in Chitral to promote the cultural heritage, especially at a time when the country was poised to open up to the Central Asian states with the construction of the Lowari Tunnel.
They also demanded setting up of a university in the valley and publication of a Khowar dictionary.
“The CDA should also name at least two roads after legendary Chitrali poets and writers Mohammad Shakoor and Baba Mohammad Siyar,” they added.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
MNA seeks removal of ‘flaws’ in Norwegian project
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD, March 20: Member National Assembly from Chitral Shahzada Mohiuddin has expressed the fear that the Rs1 billion Norwegian-funded development project in his district may not achieve the desired results if flaws and lack of transparency in its execution system were not removed on time.
Talking to Dawn here, he said he had pointed out all the shortcomings and technical flaws to the Norwegian ambassador at a meeting in Islamabad and expressed the hope that the government of Norway would take timely steps to remove them in the best interest of the people of Chitral.
He said the five-year Chitral Integrated Area Development Project (CIADP) was launched in 2009 without taking stakeholders into confidence. Besides, the project has been contracted out to an Islamabad-based firm which has no experience of carrying out development work in the area. About 20 per cent of the funds would go to the firm which has hired offices in Islamabad and Chitral drawing extra finances from the project.
He said the firm had hired inexperienced human resource at the cost of quality project implementation. As a result, so far there have been no substantial development initiatives in areas where the firm claims it has launched works.
The MNA said the people of his area welcomed the mega project and hoped that it would help build their capacities to meet the new challenges especially after the opening up of the valley with the construction of the Lowari Tunnel.
However, to attain the desired objectives it was imperative that the project responded to the needs of the local population. At the moment, he said, this does not seem to be happening leading to fears that incompetence and lack of transparency in the project execution may lead to wastage of the money.
Mr Mohiuddin also said representatives of almost all political parties in the district had expressed concern that they were not taken into confidence about the implementation of the project. He, however, regretted that the Norwegian authorities seemed to be in the dark about the flaws in the project implementation and how their taxpayers’ money would be utilised.
He also pointed out that the Islamabad-based company should not play the role of an implementer because it lacked experience in understanding the local environment and requirements. The local communities should be involved in the development process because they have demonstrated in the past that projects executed with their participation had always been effective, efficient and sustainable.
He said the Norwegian authorities were even unable to say how much money had so far been released to the project and its different sectors.
When contacted, an official at the Norwegian embassy said they had hired the private firm through a transparent process which would implement the project in collaboration with the district government. He said they had briefed the MNA about the project in detail.--Dawn
ISLAMABAD, March 20: Member National Assembly from Chitral Shahzada Mohiuddin has expressed the fear that the Rs1 billion Norwegian-funded development project in his district may not achieve the desired results if flaws and lack of transparency in its execution system were not removed on time.
Talking to Dawn here, he said he had pointed out all the shortcomings and technical flaws to the Norwegian ambassador at a meeting in Islamabad and expressed the hope that the government of Norway would take timely steps to remove them in the best interest of the people of Chitral.
He said the five-year Chitral Integrated Area Development Project (CIADP) was launched in 2009 without taking stakeholders into confidence. Besides, the project has been contracted out to an Islamabad-based firm which has no experience of carrying out development work in the area. About 20 per cent of the funds would go to the firm which has hired offices in Islamabad and Chitral drawing extra finances from the project.
He said the firm had hired inexperienced human resource at the cost of quality project implementation. As a result, so far there have been no substantial development initiatives in areas where the firm claims it has launched works.
The MNA said the people of his area welcomed the mega project and hoped that it would help build their capacities to meet the new challenges especially after the opening up of the valley with the construction of the Lowari Tunnel.
However, to attain the desired objectives it was imperative that the project responded to the needs of the local population. At the moment, he said, this does not seem to be happening leading to fears that incompetence and lack of transparency in the project execution may lead to wastage of the money.
Mr Mohiuddin also said representatives of almost all political parties in the district had expressed concern that they were not taken into confidence about the implementation of the project. He, however, regretted that the Norwegian authorities seemed to be in the dark about the flaws in the project implementation and how their taxpayers’ money would be utilised.
He also pointed out that the Islamabad-based company should not play the role of an implementer because it lacked experience in understanding the local environment and requirements. The local communities should be involved in the development process because they have demonstrated in the past that projects executed with their participation had always been effective, efficient and sustainable.
He said the Norwegian authorities were even unable to say how much money had so far been released to the project and its different sectors.
When contacted, an official at the Norwegian embassy said they had hired the private firm through a transparent process which would implement the project in collaboration with the district government. He said they had briefed the MNA about the project in detail.--Dawn
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Risk allowance for Chitral police soon
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD, March 13, 2010: Like other districts of the Malakand Division, the NWFP government will also pay special risk allowance to the Chitral police, according to chitraltoday.com.
This was stated by Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali Khan on the demand of MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin in the National Assembly on Thursday.
The MNA from Chitral complained that his district, which equally suffered due to the law and order situation and military operation in the region, had been exempted from the benefit being provided to the other five districts of the Malakand Division since October 2009. He said the Chitral police had also rendered sacrifices to maintain law and order in the valley as well as other parts of the region and should be provided all the facilities at par with their counterparts in the region.
He demanded that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and the ANP chief should order the payment of the special allowance to the Chital police without delay, reported chitraltoday.com.
Speaking on the occasion, the ANP chief supported Mr Mohiuddin’s demand and said he would ask the chief minister of the NWFP to extend the special risk allowance to the Chitral police as well. He said there would be no discrimination against any area as far as providing facilities to the law enforcement agencies fighting the menace of militancy and terrorism was concerned.
Under the double salary package announced for the NWFP, salaries of the police officials from constable to SP ranks have been increased substantially. If implemented in Chitral, police constables would get Rs3,000 extra, head constable Rs3,500, SI Rs4,000 and inspector Rs4,500.--chitraltoday.com
ISLAMABAD, March 13, 2010: Like other districts of the Malakand Division, the NWFP government will also pay special risk allowance to the Chitral police, according to chitraltoday.com.
This was stated by Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali Khan on the demand of MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin in the National Assembly on Thursday.
The MNA from Chitral complained that his district, which equally suffered due to the law and order situation and military operation in the region, had been exempted from the benefit being provided to the other five districts of the Malakand Division since October 2009. He said the Chitral police had also rendered sacrifices to maintain law and order in the valley as well as other parts of the region and should be provided all the facilities at par with their counterparts in the region.
He demanded that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and the ANP chief should order the payment of the special allowance to the Chital police without delay, reported chitraltoday.com.
Speaking on the occasion, the ANP chief supported Mr Mohiuddin’s demand and said he would ask the chief minister of the NWFP to extend the special risk allowance to the Chitral police as well. He said there would be no discrimination against any area as far as providing facilities to the law enforcement agencies fighting the menace of militancy and terrorism was concerned.
Under the double salary package announced for the NWFP, salaries of the police officials from constable to SP ranks have been increased substantially. If implemented in Chitral, police constables would get Rs3,000 extra, head constable Rs3,500, SI Rs4,000 and inspector Rs4,500.--chitraltoday.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
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.