Water royalty for Chitral sought

Published January 13, 2007

CHITRAL, Jan 12: The convenor of the Chitral Front has sought a major share for the district in the net hydel power profit the NWFP is getting from the centre. Laying a claim on the water royalty, PPP leader and Chitral Front convener Syed Sardar Hussain Shah contends that the point of intake of the Kabul River is situated in the upper part of Chitral.

Talking to Dawn here on Friday, he said that the Kabul River was in fact Chitral River, which passed through Afghanistan, adding that in the course of its flow through Afghanistan, the river had no subsidiary other than the stream of Bashgal, which too faded away in the summer season.

The river, he said, had its origin in the four different valleys of Chitral -- Lotkoh, Mulkhow, Torkhow and Mastuj, adding that the river had played havoc with the fertile land of the valleys when glacier in the catchment area melts down in the summer.

He said that many villages in the valleys were completely washed away when the river went on rampage in the past.

Mr Shah said that the people of Chitral were quite just and right in their demand for a major share owing to its geographical position.

If the province can claim royalty for water from the centre then why not the district from the province on the same ground, he asked.

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