RESCUE & RELIEF OPERATION TO AVALANCHE AFFECTEES OF CHITRAL

An appeal to President General Pervaiz Musharraf

Al-ready calamity hit people of Chitral had to face another snow avalanche disaster in March 2007 when above 76 human lives lost with their residential houses and livestock swept away by avalanche. Quite a large number of people are seriously injured and laying in Hospitals. This unfortunate disaster happened to see in Washich in Torkhow, Pechus in Arkari, Postaki near Garumchishma and Breshgram in Karamabad valley when deadly avalanches hit villages followed by earth tremor of quite high intensity seriously damaging the rain and snow hit houses and infrastructure throughout the District. There are bodies buried still lying under avalanches waiting for burial after melting out the snow from the site. The houses in some villages are completely swept away with all inmates and disappeared from the scene when earth with houses in Karimabad valley is slipping downwards forcing families to take refuge in schools and with relatives. Quite a large number of houses in Karimabad and other valleys are broken and collapsed. Heavy snowfall and earth tremor caused land sliding and slipping the heavy boulders down on the road badly damaging road communication, telephone, electricity in the valley. Road communication and utility services remained suspended from Chitral Town to rest part of the District since last 3 weeks when local government Nazims and counselors with no resources with them but with local community support are personally working for restoration of communication and power to upper Chitral in order to reach the affectees with relief goods provided by Government through C-130. Press report of District Nazim says that people of Shah Salim, Gobore and Broghel Pass, the border villages are feared of facing starvation and their precious animals like yoke shall die of starvation if required relief is not provided. Parliamentarians including MNA, MPAs of Chitral rushed to the sites using Helicopters, when Engineer Amir Maqam from Centre also flew to see the losses of lives and property. All of them announced cash support from both Province and Centre sides promising further support for rescue and relief to the affectees. AKDN helicopter and volunteers also visited with relief goods and medicines and are caring those injured. DCO Chitral spoke in a press conference claiming to have been providing relief goods through Army and AKDN helicopters on regularly basis. MNA in his press conference on April 5, thanked Akram Khan Durani for sending 50 lakes cash with relief goods for the affectees in Chitral.

Default of Government in restoring the vehicular traffic for the last more than 3 weeks and failure providing relief goods through Helicopters aggravated the situation in and outside Chitral when elders, leaders and people of Chitral and Mastuj Towns and social activists in Peshawar strongly protested against negligence and indifference of government towards the badly affected people of Chitral. Helpless MNA, MPAs also protested against the Government failure to provide relief goods through helicopters and restore communication and utility services to upper Chitral. Nazmins of Chitral and Mastuj Town were no doubt helpless but with support of local people and NGOs like AKDN and SRSP did a lot for affected families and villages providing foods, medicines, restoration of electricity, telephone and drinking water to the villages. This is unfortunate that neither Chief Minister nor none of the ministers of MMA Government came to Chitral to comfort the sufferers and survivors. This proves that Provincial Government is not kind to the people of Chitral and treating us indifferently. Again sorry to say that Chief Minister NWFP did not fulfill his promise of special package of 2.25 billion made on similar occasion in 2005 when Chitral was badly hit by 3 years draught followed by untimely heavy rains and unexpected snowfalls followed by flood that buried about 40 houses with all inmates, standing crops, orchard, livestock in 2004-5. No doubt Federal Government did write off agriculture loan of the people in Chitral. Reports come that
C-130 and AKDN Helicopter carrying relief goods came under fire in Dir and the tankers carrying fuel for AKDN helicopters were stopped in Peshawar and Government took no action and measure against such incidences that delayed the delivery of relief goods to the affectees.

President of Pakistan is requested to please draw his kind attention towards sufferers and affectees during our bad and very difficult days. Urgent need is provision of relief goods to the affectees through their representatives, reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads and bridges, utility services, provision of fuel like Kerosene Oil with subsidy. Further requested to announce a special package for the development of infrastructure providing bulldozers and other machineries to Town Committee Chitral and to Mastuj.

Liaquat Ali
Karachi.