PTI asks Musharraf not to endanger Chitral’s peace

CHITRAL, April 10: Abdul Lateef, the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate for NA-32, has said former President Pervez Musharraf is popular among the voters in Chitral but his decision to contest election from the valley has endangered the peace of the area. [caption id="attachment_9502" align="alignleft" width="272"] Abdul Lateef[/caption] Talking to ChitralToday (chitraltoday.net) on Wednesday, Mr Lateef said Musharraf’s decision to take part in the election had put the peace of the area in a harm’s way. He said Chitral lacked basic amenities of life but at the end of the day the people of the valley lived a content life only because there was exemplary peace. “We are known the world over for our peace and harmony but this peace is at stake now,” he added. The PTI leader said after the Swat operation a large number of militants led by Mulla Fazalullah and others moved to Afghanistan and wanted to attack Chitral because of Chitral Scouts’ active role in the operations in Bajaur and other parts of the tribal areas. But the Afghan Taliban did not agree saying they had never faced any problem with the people of Chitral. He said now by inviting Musharraf to contest election from Chitral we have stirred up a hornet’s nest. The Taliban have openly announced that they had formed suicide squads to eliminate Musharraf. Though the election tribunal in Peshawar is yet to decide about the fate of the former president regarding his candidature from Chitral, there was already tension brewing in Arandu, Chitral’s area bordering Afghanistan. Mr Lateef said as a politician and leader of a popular political party he had no objection to Musharraf’s contesting election from Chitral as it was his democratic right as a citizen of Pakistan. He said even Piyar Ali Allana, an unknown man from Karachi, once contested election from Chitral and bagged a huge number of votes and the locals had no issue with him. He said he was against Musharraf’s contesting election from Chitral only because it would endanger the peace of the area otherwise who will win and who will lose depended on the will of the people. He said during his tenure, Musharraf spent over 300 billion rupees for the development of Karachi but when he landed in that city after over four-year self-imposed exile there was hardly a small crowd to receive him. The PTI leader said people of Chitral had soft corner for Musharraf mainly because of the Lowari tunnel project. Musharraf, no doubt, is a benefactor of the people of Chitral but he should not endanger the future of Chitral. He advised the former army chief not to put the peace of Chitral at stake if he had sympathy with the people of the valley and wanted their welfare. In reply to a question, the PTI candidate said that a couple of youth had also filed nominations for the two provincial assembly seats of Chitral but they withdrew them saying that they were not ready to contest the elections.  ]]>