Tunnel closure: Chitralis to launch protest move from Friday

CHITRAL, Dec 31: Hard hit by road blockade with the closure of the Lowari pass and government’s failure to open the tunnel, the people of Chitral here on Tuesday had all praise for former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf who started the mega project of the Lowari tunnel. A meeting of the heads of civil society organizations and political parties was held here to discuss the situation arising due to the refusal of the government to open the Lowari tunnel for the public. Convened by MPA Saleem Khan, the meeting was largely attended by the civil society organizations. They decided to start a protest movement against the decision of the government from Friday next. The speakers lambasted the federal government for its indifference to the plight of Chitralis who had lost their contact with the rest of the country after the closure of Lowari top road. They said that Pervaiz Musharraf had a better sense of the issues of Chitral than the incumbent so-called democratically elected prime minister as the military ruler started work on the project by feeling its urgency and sensitivity. Saleem Khan said that he left no concerned quarter to get the tunnel opened for the public but it was turned down every where and the people of Chitral had no option other than launching protest movement at full scale. He said that thousands of people are stranded on both sides of the tunnel while the commodities of daily life have started running out in the market and it was insanity on the part of PML leadership to open the tunnel for three days after every 15 days. Meanwhile, the president of Tajjar Union Chitral, Habib Hussain Mughal started a sit-in to pretest the government’s decision over the schedule of Lowari tunnel opening for the public. Talking to the local people in the sit-in camp in Shahi Bazaar, he said that in the second tier of the protest schedule, the traders community will start long march towards the tunnel.–Zahiruddin]]>