- Closure of Lowari tunnel for 10 days was recommended by political parties after quarantine centres in Lower Chitral ran out of space.
- Currently, 1,615 people are in 82 quarantine centres in Drosh and Chitral town.
CHITRAL: Representatives of different political parties have demanded closure of Lowari tunnel for 10 days so that 1,600 people currently on quarantine in Lower Chitral could be sent home to make room for more returnees.
The meeting was attended by MPA Molana Hidayatur Rehman, chief minister’s special assistant Wazirzada, Jamaat-e-Islami Chitral chief Molana Jamshed Ahmed, PTI Lower Chitral president Sajjad Ahmed, ANP president Eidul Hussain, PPP’s Muhammad Hakim Advocate, PML-N’s Sifat Zarin, Muhammad Kausar Advocate and traders’ representative Shabir Ahmed.
The meeting discussed issues related to the coronavirus outbreak and said all quarantine centres in Chitral were full to their capacity.
Therefore, it is imperative to close the Lowari tunnel for 10 days so that most of the people on quarantine would complete their two weeks on quarantine and ho home vacating spaces for others returning from different cities.
The meeting decided that all bus terminals in Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Dir would be notified about the 10-day closure of Lowari tunnel asking them not to send any passengers to Chitral to avoid inconvenience to the travellers.
The participants said setting up of quarantine centres in villages and at the union council level in Upper Chitral would be discussed later.
It was also decided that vehicles bringing vegetables and poultry should be monitored and their movements regulated.
After closure of the tunnel, restrictions woukd be eased out for small traders and other businesses in Chitral to help them cope with the crisis they were facing due to the lockdown.
It may be noted that the Lowari tunnel was closed by the district administration on March 23 but on the pressure of the MNA and MPA Chitral the Chitralis returning home were allowed entry.