CHITRAL: The Chitral region with a population of only 500,000 people has got five lawmakers in the provincial assembly, two in the National Assembly and one in the Senate with hopes they would work collectively for development of the area.

In the February 8 elections, Chitral had got one seat of national and two seats of provincial assembly, and the rest of them were elected on the reserved seats for women.

PTI-backed candidates Abdul Latif returned from NA-1, Suraya Bibi from PK-1 and Fatehul Mulk Ali Nasir from PK-2, while Khadija Bibi, Arifa Bibi and Nilofar Baber were nominees of ANP, JUI-F and PPP, respectively.

Ghazala Anjum had been nominated by PML-N for the reserved seat in National Assembly, while Falak Naz was already in the Senate nominated by PTI two years ago, thus taking the tally of legislators to eight.

Former district nazim Maghfirat Shah said hopes of the people were justifiable due to the legislators’ strength coupled with the fact that there were two MPAs belonging to the ruling party in the province and one PML-N MNA in the centre.

However, he regretted that Chitral lagged far behind in the road communication sector as it formed the basis of all other sectors of development. He asked the legislators both in the centre and the province to concentrate on this crucial sector of development. “The people of Chitral needs be to gotten rid of pony tracks of British-era.”

Some of the major arteries, including the Shandur, Garam Chashma and Kalash valleys roads, had been federalised, while the link roads are still in the province, and during the first two years, the provincial government should concentrate on roads only,” he said.

Rahmat Elahi, chairman of Chitral Community Development Network, the umbrella organisation of 23 local support organisations located across Chitral, said health was yet another neglected sector, which needed to be focused.

He said hospitals were short of doctors and diagnostic apparatus.

ANP MPA Khadija Bibi said both the government and opposition lawmakers should work collectively for development of Chitral.

She expressed her resolve to make the MPs of different political parties belonging to Chitral to work together for uplift of the district.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2024