YARKHOON: A BEAUTIFUL BUT NEGLECTED VALLEY
                                                                      Tariq Mehmood, Islamabad

Part II
People of high caliber, intelligence, strong will and determination are the real assets of a nation, region, locality or community. Leadership, in its broader connotation, is a generic term, an all encompassing phenomenon not limited by level, designation or position. Rather people who come together to accomplish a common goal desire guidance and the one who by his age, experience, knowledge, wisdom, God gifted qualities or opportune moment, guides others, he becomes a leader in that perspective. Leaders give an insight to the people that help them to become mature politically and socially, with the passage of time. They led go hand in hand with their leader and ultimately, the nation, the locality or the community becomes a changed one. In today�s rapidly growing world a community without a dynamic leader having vision and positive thinking is an unfortunate entity.

Yarkhoon valley has been quite fertile in producing people of high caliber who in their capacity, as local leaders, have been serving the area to their utmost. I, despite being a young man and not having much familiarity with the area while remaining outside Chitral for education, can even name a few very dynamic personalities. Some of them are not amongst us today, while a few others are in that stage of their age where one can only reflect and recollect on what one could do during the life gifted to him by Almighty Allah. Anyway I know some of those whom I never met even, but they are, in one or the other context, spoken about in our homes. Late Mirza Rafi of Baroghil, late Huzur Ahmed Shost, late Hazar Beg of Yoshkist, late Qabul Dubargar, late Hasil Jamadar, late Mehtar Council and late Ghulam Haider of Gazeen, late Mulki and late Hono Asaqal Zhupu, late Wasmo Subedar, late Iqbal Dar and late Baramush of Power, late Chairman Bang, late Pir Saheb Birzoz, late Zhan Havaldar Miragram, late Dizgo Subedar, late Khan Jamadar and late Sher Ali of Brep, are just a few to name, who had great influence on people. Even today people like Phook Lali Member Lasht, Israr Ahmed Member Shost, my uncle Taus Bai Khojain Zhupu, Benazir and Khanjar Khan of Bang, Zhano Yar Khan Miragram, Hakim Jan of Power, Subedar Shah Hussain Brep, and many more elders of ours, whom I apologize for not listing here, have remained very influential figures of their time. Even in the educated community we have leaders, whom I referred to in my previous article, and who have played positive role in changing the course of happenings in the area. Such people though do not take part in active politics but are still followed and respected by the people due to their education, position, character and as a role model.

It is however a fact that with the spread of education, the society and the working of the government departments and social organizations changed drastically. The elders gradually retired from the voluntary politics and eventually from the leadership role as well, while educated class from the valley, being committed in their professional engagements, could not spare time for political leadership. Thus a great vacuum was created and the fertile valley gradually started becoming barren from leadership point of view. However, during the previous local bodies� elections, the people somehow elected quite reasonable and acceptable local representatives. One among those is Muhammad Wazir Khan, Nazim Union Council Yarkhoon, who really deserves to be praised for his talent, dedication and enthusiasm for development of the valley. He is presently Chairman �District Education Monitoring Committee� as well. He keeps a respectable position in the District Council for his articulate speaking power and candid opinions. A few days back I had the chance to meet a group of members of District Council Chitral who were on a visit to various social outfits in the major cities like Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore. I asked from Muhammad Wazir Khan, if at all something was being done for Yarkhoon valley? He was kind enough to give details of some of the projects that he could undertake during one year of his tenure as Nazim Union Council. The list was quite encouraging; and I there thought it appropriate to share with the readers, especially those from Yarkhoon. I request readers to kindly wait for Part III of my article.
(To be continued)