Report Waqar Ahmad
CHITRAL, May 15, 2011: Flood-affected people from different parts of Chitral here on Sunday narrated their sufferings and government’s apathy to rehabilitate them despite the passage of almost one year.
Speaking at a press conference, they appealed to the president, prime minister and the governor and chief minister of KP to announce a special package for their rehabilitation on a priority basis.
Those who spoke on the occasion included Rehmat Khan from Yarkhun valley, Mohammad Kabir Shah from Sheshi Koh, Sher Khan from Khorkashan Deh, Chitral; Gulab Khan from Arandu, Noor Hussain from Bumburet, Mir Wali Shah of Shoghor and Jehangir of Jugoor.
They said there were 90 families in the district who were most affected in the devastating floods but none of them had so far been provided any assistance.
They said some of the flood victims had been issued Watan cards but most of them were still deprived of the facility. Even those who have been issued the cards were not been paid the amount.
They said when the flood victims approached NADRA for issuance of the cards, they were told to contact the UBL. However, the UBL authorities told the affected persons that issuance of the Watan cards was the responsibility of NADRA.
The flood victims also said the Saudi government had sent 15 trucks of relief goods to Chitral but the authorities concerned in the district distributed the items among their favourites within the Chitral town.
They asked the government to order an inquiry into delay in provision of relief to the victims. They said flood victims in the remote villages of the valley were suffering a lot as there was no one to inquire after their conditions.
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Sunday, May 15, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
'Chitralis' hospitality impressed Markhor hunters'
PESHAWAR, April 21, 2011: Foreigners from US and Russia hunted three Markhors – two in Chitral and one in Kohistan - and returned to their homelands carrying along the attractive trophies and good memories of hospitality of the local people.
“One of the three hunters was an octogenarian,” said Chief Conservator Wildlife Department Saeeduz Zaman Siddique.
The chief conservator said the expedition of these foreign hunters was very successful from all aspects and they returned home much satisfied with the hospitality and friendly behaviour of people of the areas.
“We were concerned about the safety and security of foreign hunters and fortunately nothing untoward happened during their stay,” he said and added in fact the attitude of locals with the visiting hunters was very cordial and encouraging.
Giving details about hunting scheme, Saeeduz Zaman said government had allowed hunting of limited number of Markhors and Ibex under the Trophy Hunting Program.
The program was aimed at protection of the endangered animals through involvement of communities and fund raising.
In the trophy hunting scheme, communities are being involved in conservation of wildlife and revenue generation by sale of hunting permits of protected animals and the amount is mostly spent on development of involved communities.
This year, he said, the Wildlife department earned 215,500 dollars through sale of three permits of Markhor hunting. During the current game, two animals were hunted in Chitral and one in Kohistan.
In Chitral, Mr. Te Pavel of Russian and Mr. John Joseph Lo Monaco of US brought down the animals in Toshi Sha Sha Markhor Conservancy and paid dollars 80,500 each.
He said Joseph Alian Smith hunted the animal in Kaigah game reserve, Kohistan, and paid dollars 55,000.--APP
“One of the three hunters was an octogenarian,” said Chief Conservator Wildlife Department Saeeduz Zaman Siddique.
The chief conservator said the expedition of these foreign hunters was very successful from all aspects and they returned home much satisfied with the hospitality and friendly behaviour of people of the areas.
“We were concerned about the safety and security of foreign hunters and fortunately nothing untoward happened during their stay,” he said and added in fact the attitude of locals with the visiting hunters was very cordial and encouraging.
Giving details about hunting scheme, Saeeduz Zaman said government had allowed hunting of limited number of Markhors and Ibex under the Trophy Hunting Program.
The program was aimed at protection of the endangered animals through involvement of communities and fund raising.
In the trophy hunting scheme, communities are being involved in conservation of wildlife and revenue generation by sale of hunting permits of protected animals and the amount is mostly spent on development of involved communities.
This year, he said, the Wildlife department earned 215,500 dollars through sale of three permits of Markhor hunting. During the current game, two animals were hunted in Chitral and one in Kohistan.
In Chitral, Mr. Te Pavel of Russian and Mr. John Joseph Lo Monaco of US brought down the animals in Toshi Sha Sha Markhor Conservancy and paid dollars 80,500 each.
He said Joseph Alian Smith hunted the animal in Kaigah game reserve, Kohistan, and paid dollars 55,000.--APP
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Chitral miners seek end to injustices
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD: The Frontier Miners Association’s Chitral chapter has warned of a strong resistance against bids to lease the valley’s natural resources to outsiders and the alleged injustices and discrimination continuing against the local miners.
It called upon Chief Minister NWFP Ameer Haider Khan Hoti to put an end to the injustices with the small miners of Chitral.
The chairman of the association’s Chitral chapter, Col (retired) Sardar Mohammad, said that for the last over 15 years officials of the survey and drawing section of the Directorate of Mines and Minerals, NWFP, had been passing on the GPS coordinates, including the mineral area maps of the prospective miners to non-local parties, pouring cold water on years-long efforts of the would-be miners of Chitral.
He said local investors had been deprived of their rights to lease while well-connected parties were being allotted the prospective areas much to the detriment of the indigenous people.
“This shows that Chitral is not only being robbed of its non-renewable assets, but also outside parties are being given a free hand to plunder the resources leaving the locals entangled in a rotten system.”
Col Sardar said when the DMM director general initiated action against the officials, the latter began approaching highly-placed people to keep alive their hopes of retaining their jobs, caring less for the fast-brewing charged atmosphere in Chitral where nationalistic tendencies were at an all time high.
“Resentment against the corrupt system and its inept officials has engulfed the entire district and forced political opponents to find common grounds to rise against gross injustices spanning over the past 63 years,” he added.
He said the local chapters of the PPP, PPP-S, PML-N, PML-Q, JUI, JI and ANP had agreed to safeguard the interest of the area and formed a mines and minerals monitoring committee to force the government to stop discrimination against the nascent local mining sector.
The monitoring committee, which is also headed by Col Sardar, has demanded that the government should share allotted areas’ details with the committee and the district administration, get the committee and the district administration’s clearance that personal property of local residents is not leased out, start work in an allotted area within three months of the issuance of clearance certificates, stop discrimination against the locals and ensure through a transparent system that locals get preference in lease allotments.
He said that amid rising unemployment rate in the remote district, such injustices were seen by all as the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people. If not mitigated forthwith, such injustices have all the ingredients to spark violence in an otherwise calm Chitral that has served as a beacon of peace and force its residents towards a Balochistan-like situation. There is already a loud talk by Hazara district nazims to form a separate province where their rights are safeguarded and Chitral is being forced to think on the same lines.
Col Sardar called upon Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti to play the role of a statesman to safeguard the rights of Chitral and end the sense of deprivation in the district.
ISLAMABAD: The Frontier Miners Association’s Chitral chapter has warned of a strong resistance against bids to lease the valley’s natural resources to outsiders and the alleged injustices and discrimination continuing against the local miners.
It called upon Chief Minister NWFP Ameer Haider Khan Hoti to put an end to the injustices with the small miners of Chitral.
The chairman of the association’s Chitral chapter, Col (retired) Sardar Mohammad, said that for the last over 15 years officials of the survey and drawing section of the Directorate of Mines and Minerals, NWFP, had been passing on the GPS coordinates, including the mineral area maps of the prospective miners to non-local parties, pouring cold water on years-long efforts of the would-be miners of Chitral.
He said local investors had been deprived of their rights to lease while well-connected parties were being allotted the prospective areas much to the detriment of the indigenous people.
“This shows that Chitral is not only being robbed of its non-renewable assets, but also outside parties are being given a free hand to plunder the resources leaving the locals entangled in a rotten system.”
Col Sardar said when the DMM director general initiated action against the officials, the latter began approaching highly-placed people to keep alive their hopes of retaining their jobs, caring less for the fast-brewing charged atmosphere in Chitral where nationalistic tendencies were at an all time high.
“Resentment against the corrupt system and its inept officials has engulfed the entire district and forced political opponents to find common grounds to rise against gross injustices spanning over the past 63 years,” he added.
He said the local chapters of the PPP, PPP-S, PML-N, PML-Q, JUI, JI and ANP had agreed to safeguard the interest of the area and formed a mines and minerals monitoring committee to force the government to stop discrimination against the nascent local mining sector.
The monitoring committee, which is also headed by Col Sardar, has demanded that the government should share allotted areas’ details with the committee and the district administration, get the committee and the district administration’s clearance that personal property of local residents is not leased out, start work in an allotted area within three months of the issuance of clearance certificates, stop discrimination against the locals and ensure through a transparent system that locals get preference in lease allotments.
He said that amid rising unemployment rate in the remote district, such injustices were seen by all as the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people. If not mitigated forthwith, such injustices have all the ingredients to spark violence in an otherwise calm Chitral that has served as a beacon of peace and force its residents towards a Balochistan-like situation. There is already a loud talk by Hazara district nazims to form a separate province where their rights are safeguarded and Chitral is being forced to think on the same lines.
Col Sardar called upon Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti to play the role of a statesman to safeguard the rights of Chitral and end the sense of deprivation in the district.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Action sought against contractor for substandard bridge construction
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD: An influential contractor in Chitral is again using substandard material in the reconstruction of a bridge in Yarkhun valley after the collapse of another bridge in the area days after its completion killing three persons, the local residents alleged.
Talking to Dawn, they also accused contractor Mohammad Khan of changing the design of the bridge and decreasing its width in connivance with the officials of the works department though Rs140 million had been sanctioned for the project.
When the residents held a protest demonstration against the poor quality work on the bridge connecting their area with other parts of the district, the contractor assured them that fresh and quality material would be used in the project. However, a few days later he restarted work at the site using the same old stuff.
When the bridge collapsed in August 2006, the local residents had collected its material including strings, bolts and plunks and stored them in a nearby field. With the passage of time most of the material got damaged due to weathering and became unfit for use.
The residents of Yarkhun said the reconstruction of the only bridge connecting their area with other parts of the district had been in the cold storage for the over three years.
Official sources said the executive engineer works had imposed Rs1.4 million fine on the contractor and also recommended his blacklisting for failing to complete the project on time but so far action has not been taken against him.
Public representatives in the area said Mohammad Khan was also responsible for inordinate delay and poor quality work in major development projects in the district. They said misuse of funds, delay and poor quality work had been detected in a number of projects.
They cited the examples of the Booni-Shandur road, Molkhow road and Mastuj bridge projects which were awarded to the same contractor wholly or partially and were still incomplete.
When contacted, contractor Mohammad Khan rejected all the allegations and said to avoid backlash of the residents of Yarkhun, MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin and MPA Ghulam Mohammad were trying to make him a scapegoat and tarnish his image among the local people.
He said the elected representatives had tried to award the project to their cronies by floating tenders three times which caused delay in completion of the work. He said neither he was using the old material in the reconstruction of the bridge nor had reduced its width.
About extra payment made to him in the Attahk water project, he said the earlier estimate was made by an inexperienced consultant, after which another consultant raised the cost of the completed work, adding most of the payment had still not been made to him.--Dawn
ISLAMABAD: An influential contractor in Chitral is again using substandard material in the reconstruction of a bridge in Yarkhun valley after the collapse of another bridge in the area days after its completion killing three persons, the local residents alleged.
Talking to Dawn, they also accused contractor Mohammad Khan of changing the design of the bridge and decreasing its width in connivance with the officials of the works department though Rs140 million had been sanctioned for the project.
When the residents held a protest demonstration against the poor quality work on the bridge connecting their area with other parts of the district, the contractor assured them that fresh and quality material would be used in the project. However, a few days later he restarted work at the site using the same old stuff.
When the bridge collapsed in August 2006, the local residents had collected its material including strings, bolts and plunks and stored them in a nearby field. With the passage of time most of the material got damaged due to weathering and became unfit for use.
The residents of Yarkhun said the reconstruction of the only bridge connecting their area with other parts of the district had been in the cold storage for the over three years.
Official sources said the executive engineer works had imposed Rs1.4 million fine on the contractor and also recommended his blacklisting for failing to complete the project on time but so far action has not been taken against him.
Public representatives in the area said Mohammad Khan was also responsible for inordinate delay and poor quality work in major development projects in the district. They said misuse of funds, delay and poor quality work had been detected in a number of projects.
They cited the examples of the Booni-Shandur road, Molkhow road and Mastuj bridge projects which were awarded to the same contractor wholly or partially and were still incomplete.
When contacted, contractor Mohammad Khan rejected all the allegations and said to avoid backlash of the residents of Yarkhun, MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin and MPA Ghulam Mohammad were trying to make him a scapegoat and tarnish his image among the local people.
He said the elected representatives had tried to award the project to their cronies by floating tenders three times which caused delay in completion of the work. He said neither he was using the old material in the reconstruction of the bridge nor had reduced its width.
About extra payment made to him in the Attahk water project, he said the earlier estimate was made by an inexperienced consultant, after which another consultant raised the cost of the completed work, adding most of the payment had still not been made to him.--Dawn
Discord over Norwegian-funded project in Chitral
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD: The Rs1 billion Norwegian funded Chitral Integrated Area Development Project (CIADP) will not produce desired results and is poised to create political polarisation in the area due to lack of clear plan and flaws in its execution system, development experts pointed out.
They said though the Norwegian government had taken a good step for development of Chitral, it did not take all the stakeholders into confidence before launching the mega project with the current district nazim from Jamaat-i-Islami as the head of its steering committee. Besides, questions are also being raised why Islamabad-based contractors, the Thrive, had been hired for management consultancy when there were non-profit making agencies that had already carried out a number of development projects in the valley.
About 10 to 20 per cent of the funds would go to the contractors, they said. Furthermore, there will be unnecessary expenditures on office hiring in Islamabad and Chitral by the contractors. Since the early 1980s, a number of NGOs have been working in the development sector and none of them has ever hired a contractor for execution of its schemes. Projects identification is done by the local communities and the schemes are executed on the basis of their feasibility. The contractors for CIADP have, however, neither taken local elected representatives of mainstream political parties into confidence nor briefed them about the schemes.
The project document is also silent on the much needed programme component - physically productive infrastructure projects. Besides, the contractors have not been able to satisfy the proposed implementing partners, community representatives and the beneficiaries on the modality of the programme and recruitment of the staff. The focus of the contractors has been on employing low-paid staff without considering its adverse impact on the quality of management.
MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin expressed regret that he was neither taken into confidence nor briefed about the project. He said the mandate of the district government had already ended and the future of the system was ambiguous. He claimed that the provincial government had also expressed its displeasure over the way it had been bypassed in launching the project. “The CIADP has been developed as if it is a slush fund for the district nazim. This is not good for Chitral. One person should not be in the deciding chair keeping in view the geo-political landscape of Chitral,” the MNA said, adding the JI nazim was taking undue political benefit from the project propagating that he had brought the funds for development of Chitral.
Mr Mohiuddin also objected to the formation of the project steering committee and said the area MNA, MPAs and representatives of all political parties should be included in it. He said instead of the district nazim the committee should be headed by the DCO who represents the provincial government and coordinates all development works. The district government overlooks only the portion of work controlled by the district assembly which is only a fraction of the overall development projects and does not include the provincial annual development plan and many other funding sources through the federal and provincial governments.Besides, the handlers of the funds are selecting projects sites without involving experts for feasibility study. Four areas have initially been selected and are being given lump-sump money with the task to carry out unspecified projects. These areas are: Beori valley,
Kargin, Chuinj villages in Mastuj tehsil, Nishkow in Molkhow and Runmbur in Kalash valley.
The MNA said projects launched in these areas would not complete in four to five years because the localities neither have local support organisations nor sufficient manpower. It would have been more productive had the fund utilised for the development of infrastructure in whole the district. He said educational institutions lacked buildings and primary schools having two rooms each accommodated six classes. The funds could have been used for providing missing facilities including classrooms in schools, he added.
When contacted for comments, Terje Thodesen, Counsellor Development, and Terje Barstad, Minsiter Counsellor, at the Norwegian Embassy in Islamabad brushed aside the apprehensions and said they had completed all requirements and formalities before launching the project.
They said the project visualised in 2005 was launched on June 23, 2009, and would be completed in the year 2014 covering all parts of Chitral. They said the project proposals had come from the district government. During a Logical Framework Approach (LFA) workshop in 2007, all the stakeholders including the local NGOs were taken on board. In December 2008, they also held a meeting with the officials of the provincial local government department in Peshawar. The terms of reference were advertised and given to the local people.
They said the Islamabad-based management company, the Thrive, won the project as no other firm took part in the bidding which was open to all. Besides, the aim to award the project to Thrive was that it is the neutral firm having no political or whatsoever affiliations in the district. The steering committee is headed by the district nazim while a representative of the firm is its secretary. They said funds were not given under the direct control of the district nazim as the project was being executed by the company while the embassy oversaw its working. The hiring of staff for the project was also carried out by the company, they added. They said they were always ready to brief any political representative about the project, but so far nobody has contacted them.--Dawn
ISLAMABAD: The Rs1 billion Norwegian funded Chitral Integrated Area Development Project (CIADP) will not produce desired results and is poised to create political polarisation in the area due to lack of clear plan and flaws in its execution system, development experts pointed out.
They said though the Norwegian government had taken a good step for development of Chitral, it did not take all the stakeholders into confidence before launching the mega project with the current district nazim from Jamaat-i-Islami as the head of its steering committee. Besides, questions are also being raised why Islamabad-based contractors, the Thrive, had been hired for management consultancy when there were non-profit making agencies that had already carried out a number of development projects in the valley.
About 10 to 20 per cent of the funds would go to the contractors, they said. Furthermore, there will be unnecessary expenditures on office hiring in Islamabad and Chitral by the contractors. Since the early 1980s, a number of NGOs have been working in the development sector and none of them has ever hired a contractor for execution of its schemes. Projects identification is done by the local communities and the schemes are executed on the basis of their feasibility. The contractors for CIADP have, however, neither taken local elected representatives of mainstream political parties into confidence nor briefed them about the schemes.
The project document is also silent on the much needed programme component - physically productive infrastructure projects. Besides, the contractors have not been able to satisfy the proposed implementing partners, community representatives and the beneficiaries on the modality of the programme and recruitment of the staff. The focus of the contractors has been on employing low-paid staff without considering its adverse impact on the quality of management.
MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin expressed regret that he was neither taken into confidence nor briefed about the project. He said the mandate of the district government had already ended and the future of the system was ambiguous. He claimed that the provincial government had also expressed its displeasure over the way it had been bypassed in launching the project. “The CIADP has been developed as if it is a slush fund for the district nazim. This is not good for Chitral. One person should not be in the deciding chair keeping in view the geo-political landscape of Chitral,” the MNA said, adding the JI nazim was taking undue political benefit from the project propagating that he had brought the funds for development of Chitral.
Mr Mohiuddin also objected to the formation of the project steering committee and said the area MNA, MPAs and representatives of all political parties should be included in it. He said instead of the district nazim the committee should be headed by the DCO who represents the provincial government and coordinates all development works. The district government overlooks only the portion of work controlled by the district assembly which is only a fraction of the overall development projects and does not include the provincial annual development plan and many other funding sources through the federal and provincial governments.Besides, the handlers of the funds are selecting projects sites without involving experts for feasibility study. Four areas have initially been selected and are being given lump-sump money with the task to carry out unspecified projects. These areas are: Beori valley,
Kargin, Chuinj villages in Mastuj tehsil, Nishkow in Molkhow and Runmbur in Kalash valley.
The MNA said projects launched in these areas would not complete in four to five years because the localities neither have local support organisations nor sufficient manpower. It would have been more productive had the fund utilised for the development of infrastructure in whole the district. He said educational institutions lacked buildings and primary schools having two rooms each accommodated six classes. The funds could have been used for providing missing facilities including classrooms in schools, he added.
When contacted for comments, Terje Thodesen, Counsellor Development, and Terje Barstad, Minsiter Counsellor, at the Norwegian Embassy in Islamabad brushed aside the apprehensions and said they had completed all requirements and formalities before launching the project.
They said the project visualised in 2005 was launched on June 23, 2009, and would be completed in the year 2014 covering all parts of Chitral. They said the project proposals had come from the district government. During a Logical Framework Approach (LFA) workshop in 2007, all the stakeholders including the local NGOs were taken on board. In December 2008, they also held a meeting with the officials of the provincial local government department in Peshawar. The terms of reference were advertised and given to the local people.
They said the Islamabad-based management company, the Thrive, won the project as no other firm took part in the bidding which was open to all. Besides, the aim to award the project to Thrive was that it is the neutral firm having no political or whatsoever affiliations in the district. The steering committee is headed by the district nazim while a representative of the firm is its secretary. They said funds were not given under the direct control of the district nazim as the project was being executed by the company while the embassy oversaw its working. The hiring of staff for the project was also carried out by the company, they added. They said they were always ready to brief any political representative about the project, but so far nobody has contacted them.--Dawn
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Ten killed in Lowari Pass traffic accident
CHITRAL: Ten passengers were killed and four others injured in a road accident on the Lowari Pass near Dir Sunday, police said.
According to the Dir and Chitral police, a Land Cruiser carrying 14 passengers was on way to Chitral from Dir. When the vehicle reached Daro Khwar near Gujar on the Lowari Pass at 2pm, it went out of the driver’s control due to some technical fault and fell down into a hundreds of feet deep ravine.
As a result, nine passengers died on the spot and one succumbed to injuries later. The others were injured, some of them critically.
The bodies kept at the DHQ Hospital in Dir have been identified as Inayatullah, son of Baraat Khan, Chitral; Sharifullah, son of Rehmatullah, Ayun; Misal Khan, his wife and son from Shah Mansoor, Swabi, and Sartaj and Dilaram, residents of Lower Dir.
The Dir police said they have handed over three bodies to the Chitral police who could not be identified.
The injured admitted to the DHQ Hospital Dir were identified as Waqar, Habibullah, Tariq and Ehsan.
According to the Dir and Chitral police, a Land Cruiser carrying 14 passengers was on way to Chitral from Dir. When the vehicle reached Daro Khwar near Gujar on the Lowari Pass at 2pm, it went out of the driver’s control due to some technical fault and fell down into a hundreds of feet deep ravine.
As a result, nine passengers died on the spot and one succumbed to injuries later. The others were injured, some of them critically.
The bodies kept at the DHQ Hospital in Dir have been identified as Inayatullah, son of Baraat Khan, Chitral; Sharifullah, son of Rehmatullah, Ayun; Misal Khan, his wife and son from Shah Mansoor, Swabi, and Sartaj and Dilaram, residents of Lower Dir.
The Dir police said they have handed over three bodies to the Chitral police who could not be identified.
The injured admitted to the DHQ Hospital Dir were identified as Waqar, Habibullah, Tariq and Ehsan.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Steps urged to enhance border security in Chitral
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD: Fearing more criminal and anti-state activities from across the border in Afghanistan, people of Chitral have asked the federal government to strengthen the local police and border security force on a priority basis.
Though Chitral has remained unaffected from Taliban militancy so far, its over 300-km-long poorly watched porous border with the three provinces of Afghanistan - Wakhan, Nooristan and Kunar – has seen unchecked movement of Afghan nationals including smugglers and criminals into the valley. And the recent kidnapping of a Greek national from Kalash valley has further exposed the vulnerability of the district to such an eventuality.
Security experts believe that any long-term strategy to contain Taliban resurrection and keep the Malakand division from any future militant activity is fraught with failure until Chitral-Afghan border was protected through enhanced security measures.
The Chitral police with its current strength of about 1,050 personnel are poorly equipped and unable to meet growing security concerns besides discharging their routine duty in the district spreading over 14,850 square kilometres. Besides, most of the Chitral Scouts personnel which used to man the border till the withdrawal of Russian forces from Afghanistan in 1989 now remain posted out in Gilgit-Baltistan and the violence-hit districts of the NWFP.
As the dust settles on the military operation against Taliban militants, the federal government is all set to raise a strong police force of 11,000 personnel for the Malakand division which will replace the army to maintain peace in the region. Though Chitral is a
district of the Malakand division and has suffered huge economic losses due to the recent law and order situation and is at the risk of increased militancy through its borders with Afghanistan as well as Swat and Dir districts, the government has strangely kept it
out of the future security arrangement.
When contacted, MNA from Chitral Shahzada Mohiuddin, however, said Interior Minister Rehman Malik had assured him that the district would get its share in the recruitment of 11,000 police personnel for the Malakand division. He said the minister was well aware of the security problems of the district and determined to strengthen the police and the border security force.
ISLAMABAD: Fearing more criminal and anti-state activities from across the border in Afghanistan, people of Chitral have asked the federal government to strengthen the local police and border security force on a priority basis.
Though Chitral has remained unaffected from Taliban militancy so far, its over 300-km-long poorly watched porous border with the three provinces of Afghanistan - Wakhan, Nooristan and Kunar – has seen unchecked movement of Afghan nationals including smugglers and criminals into the valley. And the recent kidnapping of a Greek national from Kalash valley has further exposed the vulnerability of the district to such an eventuality.
Security experts believe that any long-term strategy to contain Taliban resurrection and keep the Malakand division from any future militant activity is fraught with failure until Chitral-Afghan border was protected through enhanced security measures.
The Chitral police with its current strength of about 1,050 personnel are poorly equipped and unable to meet growing security concerns besides discharging their routine duty in the district spreading over 14,850 square kilometres. Besides, most of the Chitral Scouts personnel which used to man the border till the withdrawal of Russian forces from Afghanistan in 1989 now remain posted out in Gilgit-Baltistan and the violence-hit districts of the NWFP.
As the dust settles on the military operation against Taliban militants, the federal government is all set to raise a strong police force of 11,000 personnel for the Malakand division which will replace the army to maintain peace in the region. Though Chitral is a
district of the Malakand division and has suffered huge economic losses due to the recent law and order situation and is at the risk of increased militancy through its borders with Afghanistan as well as Swat and Dir districts, the government has strangely kept it
out of the future security arrangement.
When contacted, MNA from Chitral Shahzada Mohiuddin, however, said Interior Minister Rehman Malik had assured him that the district would get its share in the recruitment of 11,000 police personnel for the Malakand division. He said the minister was well aware of the security problems of the district and determined to strengthen the police and the border security force.
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