It was stunning to hear about the disparaging remarks uttered by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif about Chitralis in a public gathering the other day. It is all the more shocking to see the ominous silence evinced by our public representatives over these derogatory utterances. I am equally dismayed over the passive acceptance by the elite and educated segment of Chitral except a lone voice over these unwarranted and degrading expressions.
The simmering wound PM Nawaz Sharif had inflicted on Chitralis seventeen years back while addressing them in the same venue is still fresh in our memory and is tormenting us with every passing day. I was expecting an intense gut reaction from our public representatives over these belittling remarks but to my utter dismay they are rejoicing over it. This speaks volumes about their indifference and apathetic attitude towards  public sentiments.
PM Nawaz Sharif should not forget that with us (Chitralis) honour is foremost and takes precedence over everything else. He must also understand that in Chitral there is a plethora of talented lot who are more educated, more intelligent and more competent than him. They can speak better Urdu and English than him. As for the masses, they too, are sharp enough to understand PM Nawaz Sharif’s purport and his estimation of Chitralis.
Mr. PM! Please remember that you are not doing any favour to Chitralis by announcing the already launched development projects. These projects were already launched during the previous regimes but remained dormant due to sheer negligence of our public representatives. You should not forget that Chitralis have as much rights and privileges as the Lahorites have. They are not any lesser beings. Please also remember that you are not announcing these projects out of love for Chitralis rather you are doing it under extreme compulsion and mounting pressure exerted on you by Imran Khan’s mass mobilization. Chitralis must be thankful to Imran Khan.
As regards Lowari tunnel, don’t try to take the credit. Every child of Chitral has the cognizance that it is a gift given to Chitralis by Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf and you too, in your heart of hearts acknowledge it willy-nilly. Chitralis will remain indebted to Gen Musharraf for this great and historic project which had remained a mere political slogan since 1976. – Col (r) Ikram Ullah Khan, Laspur 10 Sep 2016.