High increase in wheat price triggers protests in Chitral

CHITRAL: The unbearable increase in wheat price has triggered protests and concerns across both Upper and Lower Chitral.A large number of people on Friday took to the streets in Lower Chitral, demanding the government to review the decision and save the dwellers of far-off areas from starvation.

“Up till now the local population used to get the staple without any break. A 100 kg wheat was available at RS 5500/- but all of a sudden the price of 100 kg fixed has been 11800, which is beyond the reach of the poor people of Chitral,” said one of the speakers at the protest rally at Chitral town.

Another speaker said that 100 kg wheat was available to the local population of Gigit-Baltistan at Rs1900. “Since Chitral and Gilgit have the same culture and geography, Chitral may also be given the same status in respect of getting wheat as economic indicators of Chitral are much lower than that of GB,” he said.PMLN leader Abdul Wali Khan advocate said that the socio-economic position of Chitral was very poor with 2 per cent agriculture and zero percent industry.

The availability and supply of food grain especially wheat had been one of the most crucial issues of the local population of Chitral during the state times and after Independence also. Up to 1969 Chitral State had a very limited wheat storage system from limited agriculture sources as only 2 per cent land was available for cultivation and the rest of the land is barren/mountainous.

When Chitral was formally declared as part of then NWFP, food grain godowns were constructed at every nook and corner of the district and wheat storage introduced to facilitate local population at their doorsteps, otherwise, they had to travel from far-flung areas such as Broghil, Yarkhun Lasht, Laspure, Khot, Rech, Terich, Oveer, Gonoor, Susoom,Arkari, Ursoon, Madak lasht and Arandu to the district headquarters in search of grain.

It is pertinent to mention that they had to travel on foot and it took four to five days on one side.Credit goes to late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who had issued directives to ensure supply of wheat to the local population of Chitral at the subsidized rate in early 70’s.