Flood victims in Chitral seek COAS help

CHITRAL: The flood affectees of the Golen valley on Wednesday appealed to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to provide them help on an emergency basis through helicopters.

Addressing a press conference at the Chitral Press Club, Bashir Khan, Fazal Hadi, Shakirullah and others said that the flood caused by the outburst of the glacier in the valley played havoc. “About 600 families are stranded in the valley,” said Bashir Khan, adding that there were seven more glaciers which could also burst any time and that would bring destruction in the valley.

The flood-hit people sought the help of the Pak Army on an emergency basis to provide helicopters to take out the stranded people in addition provision of food, relief goods and medicines.

Expressing concern over the lethargy of the government, they said the government was giving press releases based on hollow claims and lies to the media but nothing had been done so far on the ground.

“Both the federal and provincial governments have failed to provide relief to the affectees,” Bashir Khan said. He said the valley had been cut off from the rest of the country and it would take months to rebuild the damaged road. “The stranded people must be shifted to safer places through helicopters,” he added.