CHITRAL: Most members of the Kalash community will not benefit from Prime Minister Imran Khan’s chicken and egg business model to alleviate poverty by augmenting the household income as the primitive people consider keeping poultry at home to be a bad omen.

Dubar Khan Kalash of Birir valley told Dawn that the Kalash people kept themselves away from the poultry considering it a sign of impurity and even they didn’t consume its flesh and egg in the recent past.

He however said with the advent of modern times, a little departure from the self-imposed ban was witnessed in the community.

“With the socialisation of Kalash people as a result of the influx of tourists to the Kalash valleys after the construction of roads and their travelling to other parts of the country, Kalash people have changed their lifestyle and ways of thinking.

“Though most of them are no more hesitant to eat the chicken meat and eggs in hotel or outside the valleys, they neither bring chicken home for cooking nor do they keep them for breeding,” he said.

He, however, said in Bumburate valley, many Kalash families had begun to keep hen at home for commercial purpose.

“Generally, chicken is still prohibited inside homes to ensure cleanliness,” he said, adding that it would take many decades for the Kalash community to accept chicken meat like beef and mutton.

The resident said some years ago, when a non-governmental organisation started distributing poultry in the valleys for augmenting household income, most of them did not accept it and the NGO had to arrange goats for them.

Meanwhile, a function was held here on Tuesday to mark the International Anti-CorruptionWeek.

Held under the auspices of the district administration, the event was addressed by district nazim Maghfirat Shah, assistant commissioner Alamgir, district naib nazim Maulana Abdul Shakoor, district khateeb Maulana Fazle Maula, Professor Shafiqur Rahman, Professor Sahibuddin, Professor Rahmat Karim Baig, Inayatullah Aseer and others.

The speakers said the issue ofcorruptionshould be addressed on emergency basis as it had created anarchy in society as the people had begun accumulating wealth by illegal means. They said by adopting austerity and simple life, the menace of corruptioncould be brought to its minimum level.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2018