CHITRAL: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leaders in Chitral have demanded of the government to cancel appointment of MPA Wazirzada as chairman of the district development advisory committee (DDAC) and appoint Maulana Hedayatur Rahman to the slot as he was elected on a general seat of MMA.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, MMA leaders, including Maulana Hedayatur Rahman himself, Maulana Abdul Shakoor, Qari Jamal Abdul Nasir, Qazi Salamat and others, said neglecting the only MPA from Chitral was tantamount to a serious joke with the people’s mandate which they had reposed in him.

They said Mr Rahman had no say in deciding on development works, postings and transfers of government officers and allocation of funds for small rural development projects.

The MMA leaders warned the government of agitation if Mr Rahman was not notified as chairman of DDAC.

Earlier, the meeting also passed a resolution, demanding undoing of the ‘controversial’ notification of DDAC chairmanship.

FESTIVAL: The Kagh Lusht spring festival entered its second day on Friday, where competitions of folk and traditional games, including polo, tug-of-war, shooting, mountain race and cultural shows, were the chief events. Thousands of people from across Chitral thronged the venue.

The concluding ceremony of the four-day event would be held on Sunday in which senior minister Atif Khan will give away prizes to the participants.

CYLINDER BLAST: Members of a family escaped unhurt in Shagram village of Upper Chitral when a gas cylinder in the kitchen of their house went off early in the morning, as a result of which, two rooms collapsed due to its intensity.

The local people said fortunately, no person was present in the kitchen as well as the collapsed rooms when the blast occurred. They said the house caught fire instantly, but it was put out by the locals before it could spread to other rooms.

Meanwhile, after a lapse of two months, Dr Haider Mulk has been appointed as district health officer of Chitral. The seat had fallen vacant in January after the retirement of Dr Iftikhar.

Hailing from Shoghore village of Chitral, Dr Mulk belongs to the management cadre.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2019