Ban sought on display of fireworks during Shandur festival

CHITRAL: The rise in popularity of the annual Shandur and Qaqlasht festivals in Chitral is also fast degrading the local environment with the revlers leaving behind heaps of trash and litters in the venues.

Besides, it is disturbing to note that government departments have promoted the display of fireworks at the concluding days of these festivals.
The display of fireworks, which is banned in other parts of the country, is causing disturbances to the wildlife of these mountain areas.

There are precious birds and other wildlife especially in Shandur area and the fireworks could cause their dislocation.

Environment activist Rehmat Ali Jaffardost told ChitralToday that his repeated appeals to the quarters concerned not to allow fireworks during these events had fell on deaf ears.

He said firework was displayed at the conclusion of the Qaqlasht festival 2019 in front of government authorities even though he had taken signatures from many of them against the practice.

He said he wanted a ban on firework display in Shandur from this year and to press the government he was staging a sit-in outside the AC office in Chitral on Thursday.

He appealed into the citizens, civil society especially lawyers to join him in pressing the government to put a permanent ban on the display of fireworks during Shandur and Qaqlasht festivals.