For Chitrali labourers, it's time to move towards greener pastures

CHITRAL, Oct 20: The seasonal migration of unskilled workers and labourers of Chitral to other cities has started soon after Eidul Azha. These labourers will come back by May next after earning sufficient amount of money to support their families. Due to limited employment opportunities in the district and stoppage of work on construction projects in winter season, the unskillful labourers every year throng the down country, especially Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and stay there for the entire winter. The manager of a bus station here, Azmat Shah, told this correspondent that unusual rush of passengers heading to Peshawar and other cities had started soon after Eidul Azha. He said in previous years the exodus of unemployed youth would start in September but this year it was delayed due to Eidul Azha. He observed that very few government servants residing in Peshawar, Islamabad and other cities visited their homes here on this occasion as most of them used to come on Eidul Fitr. Most of the passengers said that it was their routine to leave for other cities of the country by end of September after cultivation of wheat, storage of wood for warming homes in winter and grinding wheat in water mills, to work there as labourer in construction of buildings and roads. They said that this time they had to wait till Eidul Azha, as they would now join their families after five or six months. One Habibullah of Gohkir valley, leading a group of 17 persons of his village to Rawalpindi, said that he was a skilled mason and earned Rs1,200 a day while the unskilled labourers would receive a daily wage of up to Rs700. He said that labourers from Chitral were in high demand in the construction market due to their tough physique, continued presence and devotion to work. He said that he had already received a number of work offers from Rawalpindi and other cities of Punjab. “We work overtime to earn more,” he said and added the labourers of Chitral were known for their stamina to work for extended hours.–Zahiruddin]]>