Humanitarian tragedy in quake-hit Broghil feared

CHITRAL: The elders of far-off Broghil on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to provide food and other necessary items to the earthquake affectees in the far-off valley to avert a looming humanitarian tragedy.
Speaking at a press conference in Chitral Press Club, the elders, including chairman of Broghil Development Organisation, Umar Rafee, Amin Jan Tajik, Naik Bakht and others said that the dwellers were on the verge of starvation.
Situated about 250 kilometer away from the Chitral city, Broghil is strategically important valley.
They said the area received three feet of untimely snowfall that led to closure of all the routes, plunging the area into isolation. “The early snowfall had paralysed life in the area as the dwellers had not collected essentials to meet the harsh winter,” Umar Rafee maintained. He said the people used to bring essentials from Gilgit after selling cattle heads. “But the heavy snowfall in November has changed the situation,” he added.
He said that one has to travel for four days to reach the Chitral city from Broghil valley. “Not everyone can make it,” said Umar Rafee. He said the early snowfall had also caused shortage of fodder for cattle head in the area.
He also lamented that the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) had not provided any assistance to the affectees.“The area is worse hit by the quake and needed government special attention,” he maintained. They said the dwellers would have to shift to Tajikistan if the government didn’t provide them food and assistance.