Zulfiqar Ahmad
PESHAWAR, Oct 21, 2035: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments over the alleged abandonment of the Mastuj-Broghil Road and Broghil Pass project, once a key trade artery linking Pakistan with Central Asia.
A two-judge bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Naeem Anwar and Justice Farah Jamshed, sought written responses in a petition that termed the prolonged neglect a “gross dereliction of duty”, claiming it had left remote communities in Upper Chitral stranded and deprived of their fundamental rights.
The petition was filed by Advocate Shakil Durrani, a resident of the area, who argued that the government’s inaction amounted to a violation of constitutional protections, including the rights to life, dignity, movement, and equality as enshrined in Articles 9, 14, 15 and 25.
Represented by Barrister Mubashir Manzoor and Advocate Sher Haider, the petitioner submitted that the 153-kilometre road between Mastuj and Broghil – previously part of a larger trans-regional trade corridor connecting Pakistan with China, Tajikistan and Central Asia – had deteriorated due to official apathy with no reconstruction plan in sight.
The petition contended that the continued inaccessibility of the route had led to the loss of lives and livelihoods in the area, while bringing no discernible benefit to the state.
It accused the provincial Communication and Works Department of failing to initiate any development work on the road, despite repeated appeals and a high-level commitment made by the then prime minister in 2016.
The petitioner also criticized the Planning Commission for not devising a comprehensive road policy for the district, and called for accountability of relevant departments for “negligence and broken promises”.
Among the reliefs sought, the court was urged to direct the authorities to formulate a policy framework for the rehabilitation of the road, ensure transparency in the use of development funds, and consider integrating the Mastuj-Broghil route into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), connecting it with the broader Chitral-Gilgit-Shandur Road project.
The petition further requested the court to direct the government to submit a detailed progress report, take steps to prevent future delays, and ensure that residents of Broghil Valley – and the people of Chitral more broadly – are granted lawful access to cross-border trade and communication with relatives in adjoining Central Asian States.
The bench adjourned the hearing until Nov 20, directing the federal and provincial governments to submit their replies by the next date of hearing.
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