Zulfiqar Ahmad
Islamabad, March 5, 2026: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA from Chitral Ghazala Anjum on Thursday accused the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of neglecting over 4,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who fled recent clashes between security forces and militants near the Arandu border and are now sheltering in an IDP camp in Drosh.
Speaking to ChitralToday, Anjum condemned the provincial authorities for their “total obliviousness” to the desperate plight of IDPs now cramped into a government school in Drosh, with no assistance forthcoming from the KP government.
Taking a swipe at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, she slammed his mysterious silence, pointing out that he had yet to issue even a token statement or provide any financial support to the suffering population.
“The chief minister should have rolled out a relief package, as he has done elsewhere. Instead, he has done nothing – not even enquired about their situation,” she said, her frustration palpable.
Anjum painted a stark picture of displacement, stating that thousands of residents fled the Arandu border, seeking refuge in IDP camps across Tehsil Drosh and Damil, with Drosh now hosting the largest concentration.
Her critique of the PTI-led provincial government cut deep, accusing it of wilful neglect amid an unfolding humanitarian crisis.
While the district administration in Lower Chitral, led by Deputy Commissioner Rao Hashim Azim, has mobilised charitable support for relief efforts, Anjum pointedly noted that no assistance has trickled down from the provincial level.
Highlighting what she sees as blatant inequity, Anjum contrasted Chitral’s abandonment with the response in Tirah Valley, where Chief Minister Afridi set up a registration system and a special relief fund.
“The provincial government allocated Rs4 billion for IDPs and later announced Rs100 billion. But these funds are funnelled to ‘blue-eyed’ areas, leaving Chitral’s residents at the mercy of a government that seems to have forgotten them,” she said.
She also excoriated local PTI representatives, stressing that despite Chitral being represented by four tehsil mayors, two MPAs, one MNA, one senator, and KP Deputy Speaker Suriya Bibi, IDPs remain forced to live in squalor and exposure.
She praised the people of Arandu for their courage against militant threats and lauded the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps North, and Chitral Scouts for their frontline defence of the region.
Calling for urgent intervention, Anjum appealed directly to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Shah to ensure that aid finally reaches Arandu’s IDPs, many of whom are injured and in desperate need.
Related:
Arandu Residents Shifted to Safer Places Amid Border Tensions.
ANP Seeks Separate Accommodation for Arandu Displaced Women.