Bashir Hussain Azad | Chitral Today
CHITRAL: Elders from Arandu Lower Chitral here rejected recent allegations of timber smuggling made by retired Capt. Shahzada Sirajul Mulk.
While addressing a press conference here on Thursday, UC Nazim Haji Sher Zamin, former UC Nazim Sher Mohammad, Ghazi Khan Wardak and other community leaders rejected the claims that locals were smuggling construction timber from Arandu Gol using mules. They called the allegations \”a complete lie\”.
They explained that in 2006 when the Taliban controlled Arandu Gol, illegal timber extraction did occur. However, after the army took control of the area and installed barbed wire fencing, they eliminated such activity.
\”Right now, heavy snow covers the forest area, making it physically impossible to move timber.\” They criticized the authorities for not allowing royalty holders to transport legally harvested timber, which has been rotting in the forests for years. They said this negligence has caused millions of rupees in losses to both the locals and the government.
The Arandu elders also pointed out that stocks of timber lying in the Ser Dur area continued to decay because officials were not permitting its removal.
They criticized Shahzada Sirajul Mulk for making such \”irresponsible and unfounded\” allegations. “He holds a respectable position and should verify facts before issuing statements that push Arandu’s poor residents into further trouble,” they said.
They urged the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other authorities to form a neutral inquiry committee. “If the investigation proves us wrong, we are ready to face punishment. But if our claims are true, then the government must take strict action against Capt. Sirajul Mulk for spreading misinformation,” they demanded.
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