CHITRAL: The elders and local political leaders on Thursday threatened to block the road and stop the upcoming Shandur Polo Festival if their demand of provision of subsidized wheat was not accepted.The decision was taken at a meeting of the leaders of Tehreek Haqooq-e-Awam, Upper Chitral, and religious and political leaders and elders from Lower Chitral.The Jamaat-e-Islami district chief, Maulana Jamshed Ahmad, presided while Muhammad Pervez Lal of Tehreek Haqooq-e-Awam, Upper Chitral, ex-district police officer Muhammad Saeed Lal, Subedar (r) Nadir Jang, Sher Wazir Lal, Rahmat Ali Sahibur Rahman, and from Lower Chitral Maghfirat Shah, Qari Nasim, Wajihuddin, M I Khan Sarhadi, Sifat Zarin, Inayatullah and others the meeting.
The participants said that federal and provincial governments should provide wheat on subsidised rates like it was provided to Gilgit-Baltistan.They said Chitral was situated at a strategic location bordering Gilgit-Baltistan and Afghanistan but the successive governments had always ignored this important geostrategic district.They said that a sense of deprivation prevailed among the people of both districts due to the indifferent attitude of previous and the incumbent rulers.The elders also voiced concern over the dilapidated condition of roads due to which tourism could not be promoted in the region despite having abundant scenic places, lakes and mountains.The indifferent attitude of the government for the last 70 years, they added, had caused negative impacts to the residents in both the districts.The participants threatened to block the road and oppose the holding of upcoming Shandur Polo Festival if the government did not announce a comprehensive uplift package for the two districts.