No end to public misery as torn-up road lies in ruins

CHITRAL, June 21, 2025: What was once a smooth, 49-kilometre asphalt road connecting lower and upper Chitral now remains torn up creating trouble and miseries for locals as well as tourists arriving in thousands to attend the renowned Shandur Polo Tournament.

According to Shahzada Sirajul Mulk, the destruction of the road, which was built in 1989 through a collaboration between a Chinese firm, Pakistani company HAKAS, and NESPAK (National Engineering Services Pakistan), has sparked outrage among local travelers and tourists.

The original construction was hailed as a model of effective public works, overseen by dedicated bureaucrats such as Javed Majid and Umer Rasul.

In 2021, the contract to expand and upgrade the road was awarded to Umar Jan & Co., but rather than begin construction on the unpaved segments or work along the shoulders, the company started by uprooting the existing asphalt surface, rendering the entire stretch impassable in parts.

“It’s hard to understand why they destroyed what was already functional,” said a local resident. “Why not preserve the working road while extending the rest?”

Locals and critics have also accused the contractor of reckless blasting and dumping debris into the river, raising water levels and contributing to the destruction of homes, farmland, and public infrastructure along the riverbanks.

Adding insult to injury, NESPAK, lauded for its stellar supervision of the road in the 1980s, is now being criticized for what many call a lack of oversight and accountability in the current project.

Environmental concerns have been raised as well, with mountains being dynamited without care, and large boulders dumped directly into the river, altering its natural flow and threatening fragile ecosystems.

Meanwhile, an outdated road sign near Lowari Pass stands as a silent indictment of repeated government delays, showing a completion date scratched from 2018 to 2019 while the road itself remains far from finished in 2025.

Visitors to the Shandur Polo Festival are being advised to wear face masks, especially those with dust allergies. The journey from Chitral now takes more than seven hours under extremely dusty and hazardous conditions.

“While dignitaries may be flying in by helicopter, the people of Chitral are left to endure this daily hardship,” said another local observer. “It’s not just a road that’s been destroyed, it’s trust in the system.”

The contractor has yet to publicly explain the sequence of construction decisions. Calls for a third-party audit and independent inquiry are growing.

As tourists descended upon the region to witness one of the world’s highest-altitude polo tournaments, many fear the state of the road will overshadow the spirit of the event, and highlight once again the long-neglected concerns of northern communities.