M. M. ALAM
CHITRAL: Today an avalanche buried 25 houses in Shershal (Garam Chashma Tehsil) here killing six women, six children and two men.
Seven security officials got injured in another avalanche that hit security check posts in Arundu area at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Sources privy to NewsPaksitan.TV while talking exclusively said that deaths caused by avalanches are very common here. It has been accepted as a part of life by the one million inhabitants of this hilly region of Pakistan.
A Chitral resident Rahmat Aziz lamented: “We are living in the stone-age. Dozens of avalanches hit people in the city and populace living in the fringe every winter killing many. But the toll remains underreported due to lack of media coverage”.
Further commenting on the nonexistence of communication Rahmat Aziz held: “There are 22 Union Councils but only two receive signals that too only of PTV and Radio”.
Rahmat Aziz, who lives in Khot Valley, 75 km away from here, while portraying the dismal state of affairs said that they gather means to exist for six months and then during snowy winter barricade themselves like ants for six months cut off from the world.
A small shopkeeper while talking to NewsPakistan.TV said that a small portion of populace was engaged in agriculture at this height (1517m from sea-level) while others are small vendors.
Many go to Islamabad to work travelling through treacherous roads taking 45 turns before reaching the destination.
Another resident of Chitral, on condition of anonymity, pointed out that present MNA of Chitral belonged to Gen (R) Musharraf’s APML, MPA from Imran Khan’s party but like always all the promises apropos development fizzled out after polls.
A lady teacher told NewsPakistan.TV that despite the fact that there is a severe dearth of educational institutions the rate of literacy is as high as 60%.
She informed that there was no institute of higher education hence due to poverty people do not go to other parts of the country to get better qualification. Moreover, due to social norms parents do not let daughters go to colleges in other cities.
A paramedic told that there were no hospitals for one million people. Hence, when the roads are blocked due to heavy snowfall, people severely injured because of avalanches could not be treated.
