Interruption in goods supply روزمرہ کے استعمال کے اشیاء کی قلت، ملاکنڈ اور دیر میں کرفیو میں نرمی لائی جائے، تاکہ متاثرہ علاقوں میں سامان کی ترسیل متا

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 : PESHAWAR: Expressing concern over shortage of daily-use items such as food and medicines in Chitral, MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin Monday called for relaxation of curfew in Malakand and Dir to ensure supply of goods to the area.Since the initiation of military operation in Dir Lower and Swat, the remote Chitral valley has no communication with lower parts and the district has been cut off from rest of the country, he told a news conference here.The MNA demanded of the military authorities to relax curfew and escort vehicles on road between Dargai and Timergara so that they could travel without any fear. He said the operation and curfew had confined the people of Chitral, like other parts of Malakand division, to their hometowns. Stocks of food and other necessary items had exhausted due to the blockade of road for a long time and the residents were facing acute shortage, especially of food and medicines, he added.Shahzada Mohiuddin said the ongoing military operation had badly affected Chitral, the largest district of the province, as hundreds of the area residents had been stranded in different parts of the province due to closure of the lone land route to the district.The MNA said before the operation, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was operating two flights from Peshawar to Chitral but that was limited to one. The residents of the landlocked Chitral, he said, had the option either to travel via Kunar province of Afghanistan or by air flights. The first option was too risky, while the second one was not available due to lone fight to the district a day, he explained.He said Chitralis were demanding special C-130 flights to airlift the stranded students and other people to their district. The government has announced a special package to write off agriculture loans of the farmers of Malakand division, but they were deprived of the package.Despite the announcement of the package, Chitral residents were awaiting a clear policy on the matter to benefit from the relief announced by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani for the region, he added. Welcoming the waiver of the agricultural loans, he asked President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to announce a special package for the residents of Chitral.He said Chitral residents had suffered much due to the current situation in the adjacent two districts of Lower and Upper Dir. While the heavy rains and snowfall during last winter season had destroyed all standing crops and orchards in the district, he maintained.He demanded of the military officials, chief secretary and NWFP home secretary to relax the curfew so that Chitralis could go to their homes and also carry essential commodities to the district. He also demanded of the PIA managing director to announce operation of two flights for Chitral on a daily basis.The people of other districts of Malakand division are also facing severe shortage of food and other amenities due to curfew and road blockade. Though curfew is being relaxed for a few hours for the last couple of days in Malakand, the fact remains it is not sufficient to cater to the needs of the vast area and large population. The News By Nisar Mahmood