JUI rally chides govt for not opening Lowari tunnel
DROSH, Nov 15: In a protest rally here after Friday prayers, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) Chitral assailed the government for not opening the under-construction Lowari tunnel during the recent closure of the Lowari top road. The rally held at the New Drosh Bazaar Chowk was led by Maulana Inamul Haq, the amir of JUI Drosh chapter. A large number of people attended the protest rally and chided the government for its failure to resolve the issues the people of Chitral have been facing with the Lowari tunnel opening being major of them. Those who spoke on the occasion included Salahuddin Tofan, Qari Fazal Haq, Maulana Amin Ahmed, Abdul Bari and Khosh Nawaz. The speakers said the Lowari tunnel was built to mitigate the suffering of the people of Chitral in winter but the government had failed to make any alternative arrangement or open the tunnel during the closure of the Lowari top road adding to the miseries of the travellers. They said due to the apathy of the government, the people of Chitral, especially women, elderly and the sick, had to suffer agonies and humiliation on both sides of the tunnel. On the other hand, influential people and those having links with the NHA and Korean construction company officials were allowed to cross the under-construction tunnel. The speakers asked the government to make arrangements for the opening of the tunnel for at least six hours daily before the Lowari top road closes due to snowfall otherwise the people of Chitral would take to the streets against the government’s apathy. The speakers also criticized the local administration for the shortage of firewood in the Drosh town and demanded that immediate arrangements should be made to supply the firewood at controlled rate to the consumers in the area. The JUI leaders repeated their demand for the establishment of a check post in the area to stop the smuggling of timber out of the area and a royalty for the local people. They hailed the decision of the provincial government to dismiss three ministers on the charge of corruption and said that all key decisions taken by these former ministers should also be declared null and void. They also said that the people of Drosh had long been demanding a ban on the cable network in the area but so far the government seemed reluctant to close the cable TV network. They said that the administration should take steps against the cable operators before the residents launch a protest move.]]>