CHITRAL, April 12: In a significant development, the district administration has imposed a ban on the entry of cattle of the Gujjar tribe into the jurisdiction of the Mastuj subdivision. During the last a few years, floods have played havoc in different villages of the subdivision, causing damages to the public and private properties. The people of Mastuj subdivision have lodged complaints with the local administration time and again that the Gujjars brought cattle from other parts of the district to the pastures of Mastuj. As a result, the soil cover of the mountains is softened making it vulnerable to floods even during light rains. Moreover, grazing by the non-local Gujjars in the area also led to ownership disputes on the pastures among the indigenous people. “Whereas the assistant commissioner on March 30, 2015, recommended the imposition of a ban on the entry of cattle by the Gujjar tribes into Mastuj subdivision, in the best public interest there is sufficient grounds for the imposition of the ban on the entry of cattle into the subdivision of Mastuj,” said an order issued by the deputy commissioner Chitral. It added: “Therefore, I, Amin ul Haq, the deputy commissioner/district magistrate Chitral, in the exercise of powers conferred upon me under Section 144 Cr PC hereby impose ban on entry of cattle of non-local Gujjars in the jurisdiction of Subdivision Mastuj.” It said, “This order will come into force with an immediate effect and remain in force for a period of 60 days. Any contravention of this order shall result into prosecution under section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code, said the order.”]]>