The road remained completely blocked during the winter rains and was opened for light traffic on March 16. However, loaded vehicles still cannot ply on the only road to the remote valley, adding to the miseries of the locals. It may be noted that the Arkari valley is the only area which still lacks the basic necessities of life such as basic healthcare units, telephones and link roads. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his three visits to Chitral in the aftermath of the 2015 floods and earthquake announced different projects such as the reconstruction of Garam Chashma road, Karimabad road, Shoghore bridge, Kalash valley and upper Chitral roads, but Arkari valley was totally ignored, leaving the area people in the lurch. The people of Arkari have been demanding and urging the authorities concerned, including the prime minister, the MNA Chitral, MPA and the district nazim, to open basic healthcare centres, construct roads and provide the residents with other basic facilities of life but to no avail. The authorities concerned have remained silent spectators to the issues of the people of Arkari and not fulfilling the basic demands of the locals as though they were not the citizens of Pakistan. Fed up with the situation, the residents of Arkari valley have now warned that if the discriminatory treatment bring meted out to them continued, they would be compelled to stage protest demonstrations in Islamabad for their due rights and against the injustices of the government. They said that the road to Arkari had become so dilapidated that the lives of the travellers remained at stake. Recently, three people lost their lives after a vehicle coming to Oveer Arkari from Safed Arkari met with an accident due to the poor condition of the road. Many people have already lost their lives or injured on this road but the authorities remained unmoved towards the resolution of the issue. ]]>
