Chitral and tourism year challenges

 The News

 Imtiaz Gul

Chitral in the far north of Pakistan stands out for its idyllic scenery and majestic Hindukush mountains surrounding it. The over 8000 metre snow-capped Trichmir Peak also peeps over them into the valleys spread over about 15000 square kilometres and inhabited by Sunni Muslims as well as some 30 per cent Ismaili Muslims. Chitral is also the doorway to Bumburet (Kafiristan) valley, where the roughly 4000 Kailash tribesmen are fighting threats of extinction and invasion into their culture.

The region is plagued with problems but also full of prospects of prosperity; the town itself is all right if compared with most of the regions around it. Abject poverty, even in Ismaili-dominated villages, difficult access inhospitable A bird's eye view of the main Chitral Valley cratered roads, little social infrastructure, is writ large on the faces and bodies of underfed inhabitants, embodiments of helplessness.

Mir Siraj, 62 from Hassanabad, a small village some 50 kilometres off Chitral, tells it all; he lives here with about 20 other families. In April, most of them lost their homes to a massive mudslide, which swept their valuables (goats and cows) into the river, and the land under their feet is continuously eroding since.

These villagers got a one-time official relief comprising 20 kilogram's of wheat flour, sugar and edible oil as well as a tent each for every family. The state magnanimity ended there. The famous Agha Khan Development Network and its subsidiary FOCUS (a disaster response and relief oriented organisation) never reached here, though all the inhabitants and the Agha Khan Development Network (AKDN) people were happy that the mudslide stopped just short of their Jamaat Khana. Divine intervention for the protection of the mosque, they believe. The AKDN and its subsidiaries have been quick to helicopter relief goods as well as evacuate people from areas facing rolling avalanches and depleting rocks that off and on tumble down into settlements.

Maghfirat Shah, the town nazim, laments the apathy by the provincial and the central government toward the relief support. "It is very frustrating for my administration and is also fuelling anti-government sentiment among scores of villages that were hit by the April flash floods and torrents of the moving avalanches."

Conditions at the Hassanabad village made it abundantly clear as to what might have befallen people living in Karimabad, Torkoh and Garam Chashma areas. The under construction Lawari tunnel, about nine kilometres in length, on the other hand, promises big strides in the region's socio-economic progress. The all-weather tunnel has been a long-standing demand of the locals, as they usually stay cut off from the rest of the country as snow blankets the roughly 10,000 metre high Lawari Pass, and the glaciers along the road swell to make it impassable.

So far the only available mode of transportation has either been flights or via Afghanistan's Kunar province. The flights have also been irregular; the old Fokker aircraft could not fly through clouds or rain but the new ATRs acquired from France have proven to be far superior and flight cancellation has considerably come down. That is why officials of the ministry of tourism hope the new direct Islamabad-Chitral flight will provide an impetus to local and foreign tourism. But the nazim and several other locals say stable and safe roads are the key to transforming the region and developing the tourist industry.

"It is the Visit Pakistan year but look at the roads from Malakand, who would want to embark on this spine-jarring journey," said Eidul Hussein, a local paramedic and social worker. In fact most of the roads after Mardan are either potholed, broken or under construction and the journey of about 14 hours between Islamabad and Chitral shakes you to the hilt.

Although the scenery after Dir on the way to the Lawari Pass is breathtaking: snow-capped peaks, big and small glaciers and part of the river still frozen in May. Moving through the glacial-walled highest point -- called the Lawari Top -- is an experience in itself. It is something tourists must be encouraged to go through. But the rest of the roads need urgent repairs. Even the road to Kailash valley, and for that matter to many other scenic villages, remain in shambles.

"The road between Chakdara (after Malakand) and Chitral has been under construction for years, with hardly any signs of completion," Maghfirat Shah, the nazim told us. He sounded quite bitter. " I am sick of making presentations to the provincial and federal governments, and have been urging both to commit quick funds for the infrastructure development but all these exhortations have fallen on deaf ears."

"Even the people hit by the April-calamity are still crying out for the promised compensation," said the nazim. "They probably don't take Chitral into account when talking of tourism promotion. As many as 14 valleys still remain cut off from the main town Chitral"

A letter by Patricia Cotton from Western Australian sent to Chitralnews.com also explains the situation:

"Through media we got the impression that 2007 is the year to visit Pakistan. Our group wanted to cross over the two passes of Chitral i.e. Lawari (10500 ft) and Shandur Pass (12300ft) on motorbikes.

We were told that both the passes are open. When we reached Sorlaspur in Chitral we came to know that Shandur Top was still closed. The volunteers of Shandur welfare society raised a team of 16 young man equipped with road clearing tools. The team worked hard and opened the road after clearing snow at six different places and our convoy was able to cross over the Shandur Pass on 10th May 2007. I feel that a correct information system is crucial for smooth travel of tourists over mountain passes. We would have landed in trouble due to the negligence of the concerned government agencies."

This instructive letter is a sad comment on the departments responsible for tourism promotion. Only guided tours at state expense, for a chosen few will not help the cause of tourism. The authorities must get down to real work so that every single foreign tourist returns home with a positive message, rather than complaints and dissatisfaction, which certainly won't help the cause of tourism in Pakistan.