‘Demand to send back govt employees to Upper Chitral unjustified’

BOONI: Tehreek Huqooq-e-Awam leader Muhammad Pervez Lal has taken strong exception to repeated demand by some political activists and traders of Chitral town to send back government employees hailing from Upper Chitral working in Lower Chitral to their new district.

Talking to ChitralToday, he said: “We have so far not reacted to this repeated demand from Lower Chitral but enough is enough. We will soon convene an all-parties meeting to announce our own demands and give a response to the demand of sending back government employees from Upper Chitral to our new district.”

He said it was not for the first time that a district had been bifurcated. There are examples in Swat and Dir and other areas of KP. When a new district is carved out from an existing one, assets are equally distributed and an equal share is given to the new district. But in our case, no assets were given to Upper Chitral and all its departments are either not functional or facing shortage of basic facilities even after about three years.

Mr Pervez said if employees from Upper Chitral working in Lower Chitral are sent back, those employees belonging to Lower Chitral working in Upper Chitral should also be repatriated to their district.

Moreover, if at all, the employees from Upper Chitral are considered aliens in Lower Chitral, those working on officer grades, including doctors, in Lower Chitral should also be sent back to Upper Chitral. 

He was of the view that the repeated demand by some people in Lower Chitral to send back employees from Upper Chitral would create ill feeling and hatred among the people of Chitral.

He said some people in Lower Chitral were deliberately trying to create misunderstanding in both the districts. He said the all-parties conference to be convened by the Tehreek would come out with suggestions on the matter.