KARACHI: The deputy commissioner of Chitral, Osama Ahmed Warraich, his wife Mehreen Rani and nine-month-old daughter Mahrukh were among the 47 people who lost their lives in the deadly crash on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old civil servant assumed office in October 2015 and was known for his proactive approach. Being young and energetic, he introduced an online complaint system in his area of service and for the first time in Chitral’s history brought the administration in direct contact with the local people.

Originally from Vihari, Punjab, Mr Warraich’s father Prof Dr Faiz Ahmed Warraich retired from the Quaid-i-Azam University as a senior faculty member and is currently serving at a private university in Islamabad.

The deceased officer was also the nephew of former Punjab and Motorway Police IG Zulfiqar Cheema.

“Before assuming the office of Chitral DC, he was posted as head of the Anti-Encroachment Wing in Peshawar,” said a local journalist.

“He was actively involved in anti-encroachment operations in Peshawar which also drew political pressure and strong reaction from different segments of society. However, he didn’t give up and continued to move against encroachments without considering any pressure,” the journalist added.

Mr Warraich graduated from 37th Common Training Programme of the Civil Services Academy. He married Mehreen Rani last year on February 15.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2016