Broghil residents also rise in protest

A public protest meeting chaired by Rahmat Wali, member district council from Broghil, was held at Yarkhun Lasht the other day.

The speakers on the occasion said the valley was first affected by tremendous floods in July-Sept 2015 and later rocked by the Oct 26, 2015, earthquake but no survey team visited the area nor the people were compensated.

They said time and again they submitted applications to the deputy commissioner Chitral and the assistant commissioner Mastuj who assured them that a tehsildar would visit the far-off area but no official showed up to assess damages. They said a woman died two days ago due to the absence of health facilities and proper road to the valley.

Ameen Jan Tajik, nazim village council Broghil, said hundreds of cattle, including yaks, ox, goats, sheep, perished due to the shortage of fodder and the blockade of the only track to the area. Customers could not reach here from Gilgit-Baltistan to purchase yaks and the animals died of hunger. The speakers said there was no road to the valley and they purchased one kilogram of sugar for 120 rupees which was selling at Rs65 in the Chitral town. Similarly, they are compelled to purchase a bag of cement for Rs1,050 against Rs480 in Peshawar.

They said the government and the district admin had been ignoring them and the people were still living in the stone age. There is no hospital, no high school, no veterinary center, no telephone or any communication network, no college in the valley even there is no primary school for girls and their daughters are reading with boys under co-education system. Syed Sardar Hussain, Member Provincial Assembly, said that the Communication and Works (C&W) department had released a fund of Rs160 million to a construction company but the latter did not repair the road.

He demanded an inquiry in this regard. Giving a deadline of 20 days, the protesters warned that if their genuine demands were not fulfilled, they would launch a violent protest. Those who spoke on the occasion were Rahmat Wali, Muhammad Wazir, ex-Nazim, Zar Bahar, PTI worker.