|
Refresh to view the latest page
Chitral, a paradise on earth, but...-
Article
DAWN
By Maureen Lines
“OH! How wonderful you live in Chitral!” exclaimed a
person from the West. I nodded my head. Yes, the
area is truly beautiful and I feel very privileged
at having spent so much time there. But …
To the outsider, Chitral is a veritable paradise.
During the last three years, I have had to commute
for both personal reasons and work. Climate too has
had a profound effect. I used to spend the spring,
summer and autumn in the Kalash valleys but for some
years my time there has been reduced to six months.
Although a moratorium was declared on the marking
and cutting of green trees back in the early 1990s,
the smuggling of timber has continued unabated. The
glaciers of the Great Himalaya region are melting at
a rate which is increasing annually. Both the
inhabitants of the Kalash valley of Birir and of
greater Chitral have seen property and agricultural
land disappear due to flooding.
Fertile land has been bought from the locals by
outsiders to build hotels but now there no tourists
to fill them. The promise of jobs therefore has not
materialised. Ill-conceived planning vis-à-vis the
Kalash, have left both locals and outsiders bemused,
when, for example, it was announced a few months
back, that there would be a scheme for training 30
tourist guides. This was further aggravated when the
people of Kalash were not consulted about
advertisements for their own traditional spring
festival.
Although a Kalash Advisory Board was established
three years ago, with the blessing of both the
provincial and federal governments, there was a lack
of enthusiasm on the part of the members; only a few
attended the meetings. Both short- and long-term
plans were drawn up and funds provided. Hopefully,
this board will be reactivated very soon.
Besides November and December it is also often very
cold in April and October in these valleys. In
Chitral, there is no firewood, unless people can
afford the legal but expensive deadwood brought in
from the valleys.
People are now using cow dung and any available
rubbish for heating and cooking. As Chitral is cut
off by road from the rest of the country for five to
six months a year, gas cylinders are not always
available for even those who can afford them.
Regardless of the time of year, electricity is rare.
It comes from upper Chitral and Peshawar. Heavy
winds, rain and snow or problems down-country make
it very unreliable. Only in Rumbur has the river
been harnessed and the inhabitants receive adequate
electricity, thanks, in part, to the late Mr Minoo
Bhandara.
Whereas the side valleys of Chitral have freshwater
springs (even these are fast drying up), water of
any kind is scarce in Chitral especially safe
drinking water. In my small mud-brick
house-cum-office in Chitral, I have a regiment of
pipes. One is a government pipeline for drinking
water; the second is from a nearby gol; and a third
from a nearby water channel.
To work on the computer is a luxury. The Internet?
Perhaps around midnight if one is lucky. Making
phone calls is difficult. The lines are not
sufficient for a growing population. Even if a
connection is made, it doesn’t last. If someone
needs expert medical treatment especially in winter
— prayer is their only recourse. In this paradise on
earth from where nine Chitral Scouts travelled to a
paradise of another kind, it is difficult to make a
journey down-country. With the Lowari Pass closed
every winter and the subsequent death of those who
brave the snow and ice, the only way to travel to
Peshawar is by air.
Last month, there were only three flights between
Peshawar and Chitral. But few can afford the Rs6,000
return air fare and even for those who can it is
very frustrating. To add to the people’s woes, it
has been said that Saturday’s flight to Chitral has
been re-routed to Kabul.
Now there is the tunnel. Is that going to be a true
solution to the Chitralis’ problems? A local
politico and newsman, Fardad Ali Shah, suggests that
the idea of the electric train should be abandoned.
It should be obvious to everyone, including the
government, that this is simply not viable. The
money saved could be put to better use for the
people of Chitral.
Nine young men were killed and the nightmare of the
Chitralis continues. Yes, people are fleeing war
zones in Malakand and need everyone’s sympathy and
help. Neglect and narrow vision, however, breeds
discontent and can eventually lead to extremism.
--Dawn
---------------------------------
|