BOONI, Dec 8: While people of upper Chitral are suffering due to lack of basic facilities, their current and former elected representatives have started a war of words over the few projects that were sanctioned years back but still not completed.
Most of the projects, including the construction of the Booni-Shandur and Booni-Buzund (Torkhow) roads and the Booni sanitation work, have already hit snags due to alleged corruption but the political leaders seem at each other’s threats to claim credit for getting these botched-up projects re-approved.
A few days ago, former MPA from upper Chitral Haji Ghulam Muhammad, while talking to ChitralToday, severely criticized his rival Sardar Hussain, MPA, for claiming credit for a number of projects got sanctioned by him when he was the MPA. He said after winning the seat in the re-polling about seven months ago, Sardar Hussain had miserably failed to work for the welfare of the area and was misleading the people by claiming credit for the already approved projects such as the upgradation of the THQ hospital in Booni and the Booni sanitation project.
But Sardar Hussain has gone a step ahead of Ghulam Muhammad and described as bogus all the statements issued by MNA Shahzada Iftikharuddin about the approval of the revised costs of Booni-Shandur and Boon-Buzund road projects. He claimed that the revision of the road projects was approved by the federal government on the pressure of PPP central leader Khursheed Shah. He said Khursheed Shah had promised to get the approval of the projects during the campaigns before the re-polling in seven polling stations of upper Chitral early this year.
It may be noted that the approval to revise the cost of the two road projects in upper Chitral was given after work was stopped at the site due to corruption allegations. The prpoval was given by the Pre-Central Development Working Party (CDWP) at a meeting held at the Planning Commission Islamabad on October 24, 2014.
Sardar Hussain also claimed credit for the launching of the Telenor mobile service in upper Chitral. He said where the MNA was when he (Sardar Hussain) carried out a survey in upper Chitral along with the Telenor team back in 2011.
On Monday, lower Chitral MPA and PPP Chitral president Saleem Khan also said the claims of MNA Iftikhar to get the revised cost approved was not correct. He even claimed that the MNA had never even attended the meeting as claimed and had added his name to the list of the officials who attended the meeting on his own.
Addressing a gathering of PPP workers at the PTDC motel in Booni on Monday, Saleem Khan asked them to start preparations for the forthcoming local government elections.
Rehmat Salam, a PPP activist and the vice-president of Tehreek Haqooq-e-Awam upper Chitral, said that on June 21 the MNA while telephonically addressing a public gathering at Shagram had promised that work on the Booni-Buzund road would start on July 1. But so far there is no progress on the project.
When contacted, MNA Iftikharuddin said that he had documentary evidence about what he had been doing for launching development projects in Chitral. He said instead of launching propaganda against him, all the elected representatives should join hands and work for the welfare of the people of 
Chitral irrespective of their political affiliation. He said he had never minced a single word against the two MPAs belonging to the PPP. He said he believed in serving the people of Chitral and his efforts to promote the telecom sector and launch other works in Chitral was in front of everyone. The MNA said not only the IT and road infrastructure development, he had also been working at the federal and provincial level to launch projects in the health, education and energy sectors.]]>
Sister Saba Gul should start thinking of the hundreds of Chirali girls being sold in the cities by our pathetic brothers and sisters making a little money. So too we must try to protect our land which is being sold off. In another ten years, there would be no Chitralis what good is your fighting over a history that is now in the past. All the high dignitaries who come to Chitral want to visit the Chitral fort. We are grateful to the Mehtar who has played host to Dianna Princes of Wales, Prince Philips, the princess of Spain, numerous governors, ministers, ambassadors and international dignitaries. The fort and the great white mosque may represent a past which we do not all equally admire but let’s use them for the betterment of our future generations and if its owner does so let’s give him credit. Let’s focus on saving our daughters and our land and our culture. If the mehtar did any evil in the past its nothing like what we are doing to ourselves today.
Those trolls on the other page are insulting the mehtar because of bad traditions that happened 200 years ago but they do not see what is happening today!
i find it very amazing that you took the opportunity to connect two very different things. I voted for Iftikhar in the last election and see in him a hope to change things for us. I also realize the politically weak position he is in currenytly. At the same time, i do understand how Mohiuddin was not able to do anything for us in the three decades he represented us. Please stop judging all of my views based on my aversion for continuation of the Mehtari rule.the activism to stop exploitation of chitrali girls in other parts of the country has nothing to do with it. Secondly, maybe the perception about our girls has been developed due to the history of our mehtars in trading with our girls with the rules of dir and yasin. please place your blames where they should rest. i am all up for working against this perception.
Poor Shahpar I counted 72 bridges built during the times of Shahzada Mohiuddin. He seems most ignorant and seems never moves out his little cacoon. Wakeup brother dont just spew hatred you will burn yourself and no one else
Yes Mohiuddin was a strong leader of Chitral. Those who are accusing him of doing nothing are the poor jealous souls who burn into flames at the mention of the name Katoor.
Iftikharuddin is an educated and honest man, but he must learn to a political leader. Sardar Hussain is a political leader with a grasp of the art of speaking but he must be more honest.
Chitral’s lawmakers are most pathetic lot in terms of performance at the floor of the assembly. As a reporter covering proceedings of KP assembly for past three years, I haven’t seen even one of our MPAs submitting a question, adjournment motion or calling attention notice or speaking at point of order about the issues of an backward area like Chitral. Rest of the lawmakers use these parliamentary devices to draw government attention towards problems their areas’ facing and to push government to solve them. Performance of Chitral’s lawmakers boil downs to passing resolutions about Loweri Tunnel. Interestingly, once a Dir MPA Zameen Khan moved a resolution for opening of Loweri Tunnel, while we have members in the house. Comparing performance of our lawmakers can further illustrate my point. Torghar district is a one of the new administrative units recently carved out and also one of the most backwards. Zareen Gul is Torghar’s lone lawmaker in the KP assembly and the assembly records show that he submitted highest number of questions or 218 in total at the assembly secretariat. Almost all of these questions were related to a plethora of issues faced by his native district. As compared to Torghar, Chitral has three MPAs in the provincial assembly but no one has submitted a single question during the first parliamentary year nor I have seen using other devices to draw govt attention towards Chitral. Perhaps, after entering into the corridors of powers everything seems rosy to our representatives or else they forget that they belong to one of the poorest district of the province.
Kyagho credito ganinian. Ispa ka memberanan shikilo no poshi asusi..
Shame on both Saleem Khan and Sardar Hussain for taking false credit of the MNA’s work. Whole Chitral and especially the educated youth of sub division Mastuj is aware of the fact that the MNA had been perusing Booni Buzund and Buni Shandur Roads since he got elected last year. He also kept the public informed by sharing minutes of the meetings and other development to electronic and social media. While the MNA has adopted a strategic approach for development of Chitral by constantly pursuing matters with government departments , donor organizations and political leadership both PPP MPAs haven’t been able to deliver any thing to their constituents. Saleem Khan can claim credit for the MPA funds which he distributed among PPP project leaders during his last tenure as Minister and which were given to Jiyalas without any tender Thanks to process of rewarding political activists through provincial assembly which was introduced by the MMA government. Sardar Hussain and Saleem Khan might claim credit for the previous projects of Buni Buzund and Buni Shandur roads which the current MNA’s father and great leader of Chitral Shahzada Muhiuddin got approved from former Presidents Zardari and Musharraf. Sardar Hussain should also claim credit for restoring 200 border police personnel and approval of proper service structure which the current MNA managed to do. At the end i would like to say that the writer while trying to show his impartiality has un neccassorily dragged the MNA in this debate. It is the MPAs who are making all these statements while the MNA is doing his job in Islamabad and is keeping the public posted via print and electronic media. Sardar Hussain has failed and is unable to deliver what he promised in elections. But both need to understand that these tactics don’t work in 21st century and Chitrali youth do not buy them anymore.
My Dear Brother. First of all Shahzada Mohayudin was never a leader let alone great. He only served his own purpose and has nothing to his credit in Chitral. You cannot come up with one development project he has started in his period as MNA. His son is as useless as the father. The projects that he is informing you about since he was elected are all private sector projects. He has miserably failed and it seems that he is neither capable of delivering something nor interested in. He lacks vision, commitment, ability and power. You can safely assume that we do not have an MNA. The two MPAs are equally useless.
Credit kiagho e kura welfare o korum hamit no kori asuni in gar tan brastenyan.