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Insurgency situation, thousands number of labours rendered jobless

By Zahiruddin

CHITRAL: Due to the increasing incidents of terrorism in NWFP and Punjab, thousands of persons rendered jobless who used to go there in the winter season to seek jobs both as skilled and raw labourers. Talking to chitraltimes.com here on Thursday, a number of affected persons said that due to unavailability of employment opportunities in Chitral, the labouring people had to earn their livelihood in the cities of Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi where most of them worked in the construction sites of buildings and roads in the autumn and winter seasons and returned by end of spring season. Such persons earned sufficient amount of money to feed their respective families for the rest of the year. Expressing their concerns, they said that the increasing sense of insecurity and fear due to the unfettered chain of explosions and subsequent loss of human lives has kept the labour force of Chitral to abstain from crossing the Lowari Pass to go to the down districts for earning. Shapir Khan said that he used to work as mason in buildings in the cities of Punjab and earned about six hundred a day for the last twenty one years regularly. “But this year, my children forced me not to go there as they feared my life security”, he added. Another affected person Ghani Khan said that every year in the month of October, a group of more than twenty persons of his village used to leave for Lahore where they worked in some construction sites and returned by the month of April next year with ‘heavy pockets’ and contended hearts. He said that they worked for extra five hours (over time they called it) to augment their remuneration. He recalled that the builders preferred the men power of Chitral over that of the other areas due to their hardworking and regularity. With a sign of anxiety in his face, he said that this year not a single person left the village only due to the security reason. A local development worker Asmat Shaheen said that abject poverty is rampant in the area and about the people have to eke out for their sustenance and they rely on employment in one form or the other. He said that the bleak situation of law and order in the down districts, the people hesitated this year to go there. He added that hundreds of people used to sell Chitrali caps in the roads and streets of Peshawar and Islamabad but this year hardly one can spot a Chitrali person selling caps. Mr. Shaheen said that this unfortunate situation will act as catalyst for poverty growth. He said that the tourism industry in the area has already been shattered by terrorism while thousands of people derived their source of revenue from it. Regarding the limited number of employment opportunities, he said that in the harsh winter season, the works in the construction sites are stopped which although engaged a small quantity of men power. The poverty stricken people of this area see no ray of hope who badly a hard cash to provide a loaf of bread to their children, was a common answer when asked if they pinned any hope on the government.
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Para-Medical association decides to go on strike

By our correspondent

CHITRAL: Chitral chapter of Para-medical Association NWFP has decided to go on strike from 21st December to lodge their protest against the rampant corruption and mismanagement in the health department of the district which is multiplying the problems of both the lower employees and the patients. Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, president of the association Khurshid Ahmed and other activists Ebadur Rahman, Khalil Ahmed, Sanaullah and others alleged that rules and regulations are being transgressed and misused by the officers of the health department and the association has no other alternative than launching strike by stopping performance of duties in the hospitals even in the emergency cases. They said that even basic facilities of water and electricity are not available in the DHQ hospital due to which the patients and their attendants are facing numerous problems. They demanded of the government to implement the decision of Peshawar High court regarding the solution of the problems of paramedical staff, provide accommodation facilities and stop nepotism in postings. To make the strike a success, an action committee has been constituted, they said.