Tragedy-hit family head seeks financial help

CHITRAL: A man from the Kalash valley has appealed to philanthropists to help him pay a loan of over Rs0.7 million he took from a local on interest and save his property from being taken over by the lender.

Talking to this correspondent, Afzal Khan of Hatrik village said tragedy struck his family in 2016 when his elder brother Parsal Khan was arrested on the charge of murdering a man during a dispute between two groups of people over a land dispute.

Parsal Khan was later convicted and sentenced in the murder case but died of a heart attack in jail before a decision by the higher judiciary on his appeal.

Afzal Khan said his mother and sister could not bear the tragedy and passed away after remaining ill.

He said he was the lone bread earner and could not meet the expenses of hiring lawyers for his brother’s case, treatment and then ritual for the burial of his brother, mother and sister.
Exhausting all available sources, he took Rs0.7 million loan on interest from a local man.

The lender gave the amount on the condition that besides the actual amount Afzal Khan would give him 14 maund ((about 560 kg) of walnut costing about Ra180,000 for two years as an interest. In case of failure to arrange the walnut and the actual amount for two years, the lender would take over a piece of land of Afzal Khan.

The family was in crisis and Afzal Khan had no other option but to take the loan on interest along with accepting the condition.

Later, for two years he managed to return the loan by working in different factories in Lahore but since 2018 had not been able to arrange the amount.

Now, Afzal Khan said, the lender is planning to take over a piece of his land against the outstanding Rs0.9 million.

He appealed to the philanthropists to help him get rid of the loan and live a peaceful life along with his children.

Afzal Khan can be contacted at these numbers: 03449702200 and 03424187316.–Muhkam Uddin Ayuni