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Lowari Tunnel, a big blessing
-letter
I recently traveled through a dilapidated long underground
way called Lawari Tunnel which is being constructed by SAMBU a Korean
construction company. I was in a Land Cruiser of the same Company along
with my younger brother Javed who was coming home on leave. I was
imagining again and again about the complex technicalities of the work
being undertaken by the concerned company. Among the caravan of 500
vehicles traveling towards north through the dark under ground route
with the roaring sound of water falling from the roof due to leakage I
remembered the mythological journey of Zulumat performed by Sikandar
Zulqarnain along with his comrades and military personnel in search of
Ab-e-Hayat. Reverberation of sound stemmed from vehicles intermingling
with other appalling sounds of air blowing through an unending long
funnel created wonderful situation. Some vehicles surpassed others in
hurry to terminate the incertitude while others traveled smoothly
enjoying the coupling of two different districts of Chitral and Dir
having varied characteristics and traditions. One district was proud of
its rifles and bullets as local statute with harsh fluent language
another with leniency and forbearance even with their enemies as its
logo were bended together through this underground tunnel. Under this
long tunnel 90% vehicles owned by Dir endured the slamming sound of
shutting the doors of the remaining 10 % vehicles owned by Chitralies.
The queue of vehicles maintaining well discipline like the military
convoy moved forward respecting each other as we regularly watched war
stories in the Television. Submerged in echoing and banging sounds of
vehicles I was thinking about figures that made history by joining these
two distinct districts with diverse cultures together.
During my painstaking journey beneath the earth I was thinking about
those irrational figures who claimed to be its originator. It is a pity.
We could not put the good name of Lawari Tunnel on the shoulders of
those flimsy and sleazy people blindly who endeavored to make the real
owners controversial by leveling allegations on them.
The journey beneath the earth took 32 minutes. Suddenly, a spark of
light awakened me from deep cogitation. I found myself in the lure
valley of Chitral with long and congested Juniper and Diyar trees
covered with snow were around me. The old zigzag road was crossing
Lawari Pass from the top above me. The vehicles were checked by Frontier
constabulary one by one and directed them to make a line. Through a
restricted valley a procession of vehicles of different kinds including
hundreds of loaded trucks and Toyota jeeps with commodities of daily use
was moving towards their homeland very steadily maintaining a degree of
honor and decorum. The passengers were laughing giving tribute to Gen.
Parvez Musharaf and his team for this important activity. It took
another 40 minutes to reach Drosh. What I saw at Drosh Bazar were fresh
fruits, vegetables of different varieties, buffalo meet, stock of flour
in various places, bags of sugar in piled form etc. At the end of Drosh
Bazar I saw a loaded mobile jeep distributing vegetables among the
people gathered around it in very nominal cost. I bought 4 dozen oranges
of good quality in Rs. 240 for my younger brothers from them at the rate
of Rs. 60/ dozen. On the way coming home I also saw many Toyota pickups
loaded with poultry chicks confined in cages made of wires and bars
traveling towards Chitral Town. Earlier in this season chicken and fresh
fruits and vegetables were hardly available in Chitral and Drosh Bazar.
People used local poultry and vegetables in very expensive costs. When I
left for Peshawar Chitral seemed desolate and ruined place like a house
unfit to live in. When I came back it was a cosmopolitan busy city of
different nations with allurement. Within a shortest period of time a
sea change occurred in our economy. Chitral became a business hub and a
commercial corridor. In the month of January I saw our Afghan brothers
selling fresh and green vegetables sitting beside the road covered with
snow. The red colored tomato, green colored spinach, purple colored
auberjine, yellow colored cauliflower, placed on the ground surrounded
by snow as white as milk arranged delicately before greengrocers wrapped
with darken quilt offered a fantastic scenario like an arcenciel emerged
just after the end of rain. Huge crowed were gazing at the stock of
vegetables of different colors silently waiting their turn. Appearance
of vegetables of varied colours with their peculiarity placed on the
snow attracted the people. Other shops decorated with different items
were opened for their customers’ whole day. Heavy loaded trucks in
different points were involved unloading commodities blocking the
traffic. It was a queer phenomenon. Chitral’s demographic
characteristics completely altered just after the opening of Lawari
Tunnel, the Tunnel which was awaited from time immemorial.
Construction of another Tunnel between Mastuj and Ghezer District of
Northern Areas under Shandur Pass which also remains cut off for almost
six month of the year from Northern Areas due to heavy snow fall is a
viable suggestion to achieve the long term objectives of the Lawari
Tunnel in thorough. Chumarkan gole and Harchin Gole at Mastuj are the
two feasible places for this project. This tunnel after its completion
would be used as alternative to silk rout during emergency. As a
circular road it will provide year round linkages and coherence between
Northern Areas and entire Districts of NWFP from extreme north. The
length of this Tunnel would be 4 to 5 KM and the project would also be
economically feasible. Our leadership should divert their concentration
towards this important activity in order to materialize the dream of
Gen. Pervez Musharaf who determined to join all remotest areas of
Chitral and Northern Areas together through a network of roads and
tunnels beneath the mountains. This project should be initiated by SAMBU
the Korean Company after comprehensive investigation of ground condition
is undertaken.
Maham Saleem
Chitral.
26 Mar 10.
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