'Hired assassins' and Chitral's peace
The people of Chitral love peace, harmony and even in this era of turmoil and terror the valley and its people have maintained their tradition of peaceful co-existence and harmony.
Though it is very difficult for the Khow-speaking people to remain immune to the wave of intolerance still the ratio of crime, particularly making assault on the lives of others, are very rare in this enchanted land. Maintaining the peaceful environment of Chitral has always been the priority of the indigenous people as well as the government authorities and together they have succeeded in maintaining the calmness and tranquility.
But keen observers and all those who keep Chitral’s peace to their hearts are perturbed that government authorities seem oblivious to the undercurrent of potential threat to peace of Chitral. This threat, which can result in horrific turmoil in Chitral, is the dangerous trend of using hired assassins by some well-to-do people, to point their own scores. In the recent past, there have been a number of such incidents in which criminals from outside Chitral were hired by local people to eliminate their rivals. And unfortunately this has been taken very lightly by the people as well as by government. But it is important to stress once again that if not checked in the early stage this menace would devastate Chitrali society and no one would remain immune to its effects. This internal threat of using hired assassin by influential and wealthy people should be taken very seriously by every indigenous citizen of Chitral. If someone overviews the armed conflicts or massive clashes in different parts of the district particularly in Drosh and surrounding areas, the involvement of these waged criminals or miscreants has seen a sharp increase.
After doing their criminal activities or tasks, these people go back to their own areas without being caught and our police are left with doing nothing but embroiled in inking papers. When you ask the police what happened to the criminals, the only routine answer which you would hear is: “they fled to some undisclosed area” which are “no-go areas”. It is a joke that there are some “no-go areas” in Chitral.
Just think for a moment. If after any accident due to these non-local actors the local majority reacted harshly, what would be the future of Chitral and its peace?
From recent past, the ratio and culture of utilizing the waged-criminals has been rising. Unluckily, if you fall into some quarrel with an affluent or “selected” person, the one warning you will receive is: “I have gangsters, will see you”. This thing has its influence in Drosh and its surrounding areas where these outsides and people with criminal background and illicit orientations have been housed. These people are then used by their masters who always care for their food, shelter, medication as well as legal expenditures.
We don’t have any policy or framework for internal migrant therefore people easily settle where they wish or brought but there is one legal provision for temporary tenancy or rental. Our local administration doesn’t give attention towards this provision.
Since hired criminals are almost brought to the native villages by affluent persons who provide them lodging and boarding facilities as well as financial benefits, the former go through any job asked by the latter hence the main culprits are equally responsible in facilitating disturbance and turmoil and needs to be treated with iron hands. Most of the criminals are brought from southern most part of Chitral but in these lines I don’t go to blame any particular ethnic or linguistic group. The people of Arandu and Damail are patriotic and sympathetic and discourage untoward activities but as a natural phenomenon good and bad people live everywhere, same is the case in Chitral. But the acts of a few people with criminal and illicit background bring defamation to the whole area and their tribes.
Now this is high time for the government authorities to look into the matter very seriously if they are sincere regarding the peace of Chitral. Those who bring these “suspected” people and keep in their property must be brought under a bond that these people would not participate in any kind of anti social and criminal activities otherwise the whole responsibility would rest on the people who housed them in their property. Similarly, the administration and security organization should immediately go through a thorough ground and background check of outsiders now living in different parts of the district particularly Drosh town and its surroundings.]]>