Chitral's share in Rs50bn Malakand fund demanded

By Zar Alam Khan

ISLAMABAD: Though exemplary peace prevails in Chitral, one of the districts of the Malakand division, the violence and subsequent military operation in Dir and Swat have left a devastating effect on the poverty-stricken people of the valley.
Chitral’s location among the rugged Hindukush mountains keeps it cut off from rest of the country for half of the year in winter. This year, however, Chitralis remain stranded even in summer due to the military operation in the Malakand division. Inside the valley, road infrastructure, healthcare and educational facilities are almost non-existent. The government allocates funds for districts on the basis of their populations due to which Chitral gets a paltry sum every year. However, with the operation in the region nearing conclusion, the residents of Chitral expect that the federal government would announce a special package to compensate the losses which they have suffered due to blockade of roads and collapse of the tourism industry.
Area-wise Chitral is the largest district of the NWFP and accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the Malakand division. Unlike the violence-affected districts, Chitral borders three lawless Afghan provinces of Kunar, Nooristan and Badakhshan in the west. It also opens through numerous passes to militancy-hit Swat and Dir districts in the southeast and south. When seen in such a geographical setting, Chitral could have very easily become a centre of attraction and safe haven for the fleeing Taliban militants. However, the people of the valley played their collective role in maintaining peace in the area.
MNA from Chitral Shahzada Mohiuddin says time has come people of Chitral should be rewarded for their role in maintaining peace under the prevailing circumstances. “Otherwise, there is a danger that they would start thinking that peace has failed to bring them any dividend.” Should taking arms, breaking the law, killing innocent people and blowing up schools are a prerequisite to bring in development? There is a danger that the sense of deprivation can drive people towards a negative approach to attain their rights, he added.
In a letter to Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tarin, Mr Mohiuddin hailed the decision of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for allocating Rs50 billion for the Malakand division but warned that his area should not be excluded from the package because Chitral has indirectly suffered unprecedented economic losses due to the violence. He said at least 5 per cent of the amount should be set aside to make for the economic losses the current turmoil in the region has caused to Chitral.
He also urged Federal Minister for Information Qamar Zaman Kaira and Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmed of the Special Support Group not to ignore Chitral while allocating the funds for development of the violence affected districts.

Koreans say no to restart work on Lowari Tunnel

By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD, June 27: A meeting held to discuss resumption of work on the Lowari Rail Tunnel project here on Saturday failed to persuade the Korean company officials to return to the site.
The Koreans Sambu company officials expressed their inability to move to the site in Upper Dir and resume work due to security concerns, a participant of the meeting told Dawn.
However, on the assurance of the elected representatives from Chitral and Dir that they would be provided foolproof security, the Korean consultants and workers sought more time to reach the final decision after consulting their government, he added.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Communication Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan, Minister of State for Communication Chaudhry Imtiaz Safdar Waraich, Minister for Frontier Regions Najmuddin Khan from Dir; MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin and MPA Ghulam Mohammad from Chitral, besides the chairman and other officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA).
Work on the project was suspended with the launch of the ongoing military operation in Malakand division. The Korean Sambu company officials and consultants from other countries, who have been shifted to Islamabad after suspension of the work, referred to media reports of law and order situation and killings in the region and expressed their inability to move back to the site to resume work.
When told by the representatives from Chitral that there was complete peace in their valley and they could restart the work from the northern portal, the Koreans maintained that due to the prevailing security situation and curfew in the Malakand division, supply of construction material and other equipment from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi had stopped.
The first phase of the project was completed in January this year and the second and final phase was to finish in 2010 according to the original plan. However, the suspension of work on the project for an indefinite period due to the current security situation in the tunnel’s southern site in Upper Dir has created concerns among the people of Chitral that the tunnel may not be completed on time.

Former MPA Maulana Jehangir dies of heart attack in Chitral

CHITRAL: Former MPA from PF-90 Chitral-II and the district chief of Jamiat Ulemai-Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Jehangir has died of cardiac arrest. He was 60 years of age. He suffered a massive heart atatck at Singoor and was rushed to the DHQ hospital Chitral where he died at about 6.15pm. Maulana Jehangir was elected MPA from the platform of the MMA in the elections 2002 from upper Chitral and remained a member of the NWFP assembly till a few months before the general elections of February 2008.

It may be noted here that three other persons died of cardiac arrest within the last about 24 hours in Chitral. Maulana Jehangir had reportedly gone to offer condolence in the house of one of the deceased where he suffered heart attack.

Chitral Today expresses its deepest shock over the untimely death of Maulana Jehangir and pray to God to rest the soul in eternal peace and give courage to the family to bear the irreparable loss. (Ameen)--Bashir Hussain Azad

Matter of faith: Dr Daftary's book on Ismailism reviewed

Reviewed by Mansoor Murad


In this, the Islamic republic of Pakistan, talking about matters of faith is something that is considered a sensitive issue. This is truer still when talking of the differences between the various sects of Islam, and the sects which are small in numbers tend to be concentrated in specific catchment areas and almost secretive about their doctrines and practices.
And with the current climate in the nation, where expression of religious orthodoxy as well as any non-regulation beliefs are increasingly taboo, having an open and honest discussion about theology in any form is difficult at best, and impossible under normal circumstances, where non-orthodoxy seems to be threatened with ever greater intolerance.
Therefore, it was with anticipation that I picked up Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines by Farhad Daftary. The book is meticulously researched and, for a scholarly text, reasonably easy to read. The language is quite plain, and sentences clearly constructed and easy to understand.
This text should not be inaccessible to people of any level of proficiency in the language, and there is no attempt to impress the reader with impressive vocabulary. Quite the reverse, in fact, as things are explained in as plainly as possible.
Readers may initially be daunted by the size of the book, but much of the latter third is taken is taken up with meticulous and highly detailed endnotes. It is an extremely wise decision to transfer a great deal of secondary exposition to the endnotes as, although the information contained in these can be very important for a scholarly study, a reader seeking a broader understanding can choose which areas to seek more in-depth information about.
I found myself dipping into the endnotes at intervals throughout my read. Although this process did interrupt the flow of the narrative somewhat, it also meant that I could skim over areas where the main text sufficed for my requirements.
Dr Daftary is clearly an expert in the field, and the great strength of the book is the detailed discussion of the evolution of the Ismailis from their origin to the modern day. This is a vast period of time to encompass, and the author does it well, dealing with the history in chronological order. He refers heavily to the historical accounts maintained by Ismaili scholars, but also refers to other sources of research, predominantly stemming from the West.
He also spends a significant amount of space in the beginning of the book both detailing and debunking many of the legends associated with the Ismailis, particularly in the West.
The most popular of these, of course, is the ‘Assassins’ legend, which talks about a fearless band of killers who, high on mind-altering substances and visions of an Eden-like reward, committed some of the most adacious murders of high-ranking political officials of the time.
The origin of the work assassin is from Persian Hashisheen, which the author explains was a word used by orthodox Muslims to disparage the Ismailis, whom they saw as heretics.
This is relevant information but it sets a defensive tone for the volume as a whole. Since the start of the book is preoccupied with listing the different sources of erroneous and defamatory writings about the Ismailis, and detailing and debunking the various legends surrounding them, there is certain apologist flavour to the introductory section.
Although this does explain why the sources of historical data are selected from where they are, sources considered biased negatively in the opinion of the author are ignored completely.This means that question of orthodoxy and heresy are, in main, side-stepped.
The only other disappointment with the book is that it does not really go into any great depth about the doctrines, articles of faith or practices. I had hoped that some light would be shed on these aspects of Ismailism which are normally surrounded by a certain amount of misinformation. On that front the volume is largely silent, choosing more to focusing almost exclusively on the history of the sect.
For the students of Islamic history, the book will be a very valuable resource. It is well written and well researched, and covers the entire history of the Ismailis with relative ease – This is Daftary’s real achievement without compromising on relevant details or readability.
However, it is in essence one point of view, and those wishing for s further understanding may wish to also refer to some other texts whose basic assumption are not as charitable as those of Daftary, who seems predisposed to dismiss all unflattering reports as disinformation. This may well be true, but for a serious students, both sides of the coin must be examined and one’s own conclusion drawn.



The Ismailis: Their history and doctrines

By Farhad Daftary

Cambridge University Press, UK

ISBN 0-521-61636-2

77pages, Rs3995.
Courtesy Dawn's Books & Authors

Why PTV ignores Chitrali martyrs?

This refers to the letter by Bashir Hussain Azad published in Chitral Today on June 19, regarding PTV's coverage of the martyrs of Malakand operation. I fully agree with the writer that PTV has totally ignored the martyrs from NWFP particularly those from Chitral. Eight soldiers of Chitral Scouts laid down their lives on the first day of the operation in Maidan of Dir Lower in defense of their motherland and the bodies of the shuhada were flown to Chitral in one day and PTV or any other channel even did not mention their shahadat in their news bulletins let alone paying tributes to them. The number of martyrs from Chitral has been multiplying since then and their bodies are flown to Chitral and buried quietly. No TV channel, newspaper except a few Chitrali online newspapers mentioned the brilliant sacrifice of their lives in defense of Pakistan by these brave sons of Chitral. This is not first time that Chitrali soldiers and officers have offered their lives in defense of their motherland. This is a historical fact that Chitral has been offering its sons to save Pakistan since 1948 war with India. Nearly 80 shuhada from Chitral sacrificed their lives in Kargil misadventure.

The leading television channels do not tire creating hype by scandalizing trivial events and small issues but have badly failed to highlight the great sacrifice rendered by those brave sons of the soil. We Chitralis are extremely frustrated and disappointed over the apathy of our television channels particularly our national television PTV.

Sultan Mehmood

Garam Chashma, Chitral

----------------------------------------------------
Pakistan Television gives coverage to the martyrs of war in Swat and Waziristan frequently but in most of the cases the martyrs covered by the channel are from Punjab. Soldiers and junior officers of the Army who are martyred also hail from NWFP. I am watching PTV telecasting exclusive programmes on martyrs from Punjab and Balochistan and not on those belonging to NWFP. I would particularly refer to Samiullah Shaheed, who hailed from Koghozi in Chitral. As a coincidence, his father's name is Pakistan and a son of “Pakistan” from NWFP sacrificed his life for Pakistan, the homeland of 170 million people.
I wish NWFP had its own television channel or any industrialist from this province had a TV channel of his own, so that martyrs of the ongoing war for Pakistan could be given proper coverage. We are fed up with alien channel and bipartisan publicity.

Bashir Hussain Azad,
Chitral.

Flight cancellation leaves Chitralis stranded

By Zar Alam Khan

RAWALPINDI, June 16: A large number of students and their parents belonging to Chitral have been unable to visit the valley during the summer vacations due to the blockade of the road and unavailability of seats on PIA’s Islamabad-Chitral flights.
A visit to PIA’s booking office in Rawalpindi showed crowds of people scrambling for reservation of seats. However, most of them returned empty-handed after being informed that seats were not available till the end of this month.
Most of the passengers said they had been visiting the office to reserve seats for the last many weeks, but without any success.
They said each year they visited their native villages in Chitral during the summer vacations. However, this summer they were still unable to proceed to the valley as the road via Mardan and Dir remained blocked due to the ongoing military operation and curfew in the region.
Some people are still travelling through Dir after taking a long detour via Bajaur Agency. However, most of the passengers, especially those accompanied by women and children, avoid travelling on the route due to security concerns.
The PIA operates one flight daily from Islamabad to Chitral but mostly it is cancelled due to inclement weather particularly on the 10,500-foot-high Lowari Pass.
A large number of Chitralis living in Karachi, Lahore and other cities have also reached here en route to Chitral but they too are unable to proceed due to unavailability of seats in the PIA flights and road blockade in the Malakand Division through which Chitral is reached.
Talking to Dawn, most of the passengers said the government should make arrangements to end the blockade of the valley and as a first step increase the number of PIA flights or operate C-130s on the route.
The passengers said due to deteriorating law and order situation in the NWFP, particularly after the suicide attack on the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar, they could not go to Peshawar for onward journey to Chitral. Therefore, they said, the national flag-carrier should operate at least two flights daily from Islamabad to Chitral.
They also called upon their elected representatives to take up the issue with the authorities concerned and get a special package announced for ending their communication problems till the situation in the Malakand Division normalised.

Taliban threaten Kalash in Chitral

Ancient tribe’s existence threatened by extremism, tribal youths converting to other religions
* Kalash festivities marred by threats of Taliban attacks from neighbouring Dir

LAHORE: Although the NWFP today is largely under threat from the Taliban and extremism, there are still clusters in the insurgency-hit province where life goes on as normal.

The most prominent of these is the Kalash region in Chitral, a report by BBC Urdu service said on Thursday.

The region is named after the Kalash tribe, which has lived in the area since time immemorial.

The tribe, said to be descendants of Alexander the Great's soldiers, still practices an ancient pagan culture unlike any other in this part of the world, the report said.

The Kalash people have been a people apart since recorded times.

They had become a major tourist attraction in recent times, but in doing so, attracted the ire of Islamic clerics, who started calling the Kalash region ‘Kafiristan’, or the "land of the unbelievers".

Dangers: The terms were largely restricted to slogans and sermons - until the Taliban arrived on the scene.

But that is not the only challenge the community faces - many educated Kalash youth have chosen to convert to Islam.

Subsequently, they have abandoned the community to seek a life in cities and more upscale communities.

All these factors threaten this unique heritage.

“Hundreds of years ago about 3,000 Kalash people made their home in the Birir, Rumbur and Bumburet valleys among the Hindu Kush mountains of Chitral. Generally speaking, the people of Chitral, Muslim or Kalash, are liberal when it comes to religion,” the report said. But the Taliban threat has now jeopardised their existence, with the neighbouring Dir district under the Taliban control.

"Chitral is one of the most peaceful regions in Pakistan," said Abdul Wali, a local lawyer. "All communities here have brotherly relations with each other. People here believe culture has precedence over religion."

The Kalash people celebrate the four seasons with an equal number of festivals, with the summer festival seeing the highest attendance by people from across the country.

Foreigners were few this year, but present nonetheless. Among them was Glasgow resident Patricia Fort with her son Leon. "This is the second time I have come here...this time to show it to my son," she said. Her son Leon is equally enthusiastic.

"I got to know about this place from my mother, heard all the stories about the Kalash, saw pictures and knew I had to come," he said.

Taliban threat: But the richness of the festival is now shadowed, as security forces are deployed to fend off the Taliban. “Checkpoints litter the road leading to the festival venue and local hospitals have been put on red alert,” the report said. "There is a rumour going around that the Taliban will attack the festival," Dr Jahangir Khan, medical officer at a local hospital said.

"There is the situation in Dir, and we are just across the border from Afghanistan. We have been put on 24-hour emergency standby for as long as the festival lasts." However, the Kalash people continued with the festivities despite the dangers.

“In a region wracked by conflict, their simple ways seem like echoes from another time. Beautiful women adorned in black robes splattered with bright colours and with necklaces of sparkling stones dance to ancient tunes. Music is played by the men who occasionally break out in song,” the report said.

"They are singing of their happiness to God," says Munir, a Kalash man.--Daily Times

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Delay in rebuilding of Yarkhun bridge makes over 40,000 people hemmed in

Dawn

By Zar Alam Khan

ISLAMABAD: The government’s failure to reconstruct a bridge in a far-off valley of Chitral has left its over 40,000 residents stranded for the fourth consecutive summer this year.
The bridge on the Yarkhun river near Khotanlasht was constructed in 1980 but it collapsed in August 2006 due to lack of maintenance cutting off the over 100-km-long valley of over 50 scattered villages stretching up to the Boroghil Pass bordering the Wakhan corridor of Afghanistan.
As a result, the area has been facing a crisis-like situation in the absence of supplies of essential commodities and basic healthcare facilities. Ironically, there is even no basic healthcare centre in the entire valley and a dispensary set up in the Dizg village was also closed down a few years ago. The worse affected are patients needing emergency medical treatment including aged people, women and children. Besides, due to absence of transport, people have to travel on foot from the destroyed bridge to reach their villages and vice versa.
Hundreds of students including girls from the four villages near the collapsed bridge have to attend their schools situated in Brep village across the river. When the bridge collapsed, they remained out of school for three months till a pedestrian bridge was set up at the site. Crossing the dangling and quite long suspension bridge is like playing with one’s life. Early in the morning and in the afternoon, crowds of students can be seen on the bank of the river waiting for their turn to cross the bridge one by one, as the bridge is also used by other people and for shifting of luggage, etc. The residents said they had been going through mental distress and were also concerned about the safety of their children. One person has already lost his life while crossing the river.
Though the reconstruction of the bridge could take hardly one or two months, too many political stakeholders have complicated the matter to achieve their own vested interest making the residents suffer. As the area is far off and has no communication links, the affected people’s pleas after pleas for resolution of the problem have fell on deaf ears despite the fact that their political representatives had made promises to reconstruct the bridge on many occasions.
During the last about three years, every political party hoodwinked the people and sent contractors to the site who carried out some groundwork that too by fits and starts and then disappeared. So far, work on the project has been started and closed for fourth time but there is no hope that the work presently going on at a snail’s pace at the site would be completed any time soon.
When the bridge was washed away, the then provincial government of the MMA deliberately put the project into the cold storage and did not release the required funds on time. However, MMA’s successors in the province turned out to be more callous and did the same with the project. In the 2008 elections, the PML-Q candidates Shahzada Mohiuddin and Ghulam Mohammad returned to the National and the provincial assemblies mainly through the votes of the Yarkhun valley after promising to reconstruct the bridge as a priority project. But after reaching the assemblies, these two leaders have also been buying time on one pretext or the other. Instead of ensuring the reconstruction of the bridge, the MPA made it a publicity opportunity and proudly opened a plaque in his name on April 21, 2008, declaring that work on reconstruction of the bridge has been started. Had there been political will to resolve the public issue, the bridge would have so far been reconstructed, regretted the residents.