SHANGLA: Dilapidated condition of roads coupled with reckless driving, particularly by young motorcyclists, is resulting in fatal road accidents in remote parts of Shangla district.

Abid Yaar, a social activist from Peerabad, said roads leading to upper parts of the district were in deplorable condition, causing fatal accidents. He said politicians got the roads built through their own men instead of floating tenders, thus compromising the quality of work.

Fazal Rabi, Basi village council secretary, said several deadly incidents had occurred on the road leading to his village due to its bad shape.

He said there was no single blacktopped link road in the entire Ghorband region.

When contacted, sub-divisional police officer, Alpuri, Amjad Khan told Dawn that roads leading to the hilly areas were dangerous and narrow due to which accidents occurred.

He said the district police officer had strictly ordered the relevant police stations to act against underage, inexperienced drivers.

POETRY SESSION: Poets have urged the local politicians to help boost tourism in the scenic Shangla district to put it on the path of prosperity.

They expressed these views at the annual poetry session ‘Aman Taq Taq Khandagani’ (peace and laughter) organised at the district council hall, Alpuri.

On the occasion, Dr Khadim Hussain, a literary figure, said Pakhtuns had rich history, but the youth were not interested to know about their past. He asked the participants to create awareness about the importance of preserving and promoting Pakhtun culture.

He said unity among Pakhtuns was need of the hour to reclaim their rights. “Pakhtuns are not terrorists, but peaceful citizens,” he added.

Azir Manerwall, a noted poet, said local politicians should work for boosting tourism in the district. He said there were hundreds of tourist spots, but these were not accessible to the tourists due to unpaved roads and lack of basic facilities.

The poets presented their collections, highlighting peace, human rights, Pashtu language, Shangla’s natural beauty and works of the bygone poets.

Poet Prof Bakht Zada Danish said emerging poets should work for promoting Pashtu literature.

A 17-year-old student, Irshad Khaliq, received appreciation when he presented his poem, while a nine-year-old girl, Eshmal Iqbal, presented a poem of poet Afsar Afghan, the organiser of the event.

Two killed: Two persons were killed when the bike they were riding plunged into Khan Khwar River in Kerai area of Bisham on Wednesday.

Police said Yasar Khan, 20, and Jamshid, 23, were coming to Shangla from Swat when they met the accident at Kerai turn.

The local people retrieved the bodies from the river and shifted them to the tehsil headquarters hospital, Alpuri, where after postmortem they were handed over to the families.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2018