CHITRAL: The district administration sealed a private restaurant set up inside a grounded Fokker aircraft in the vicinity of Chitral Airport on Saturday morning saying the eatery threatens flight operations.

An order issued by deputy commissioner of Lower Chitral Khurshid Alam Mehsud on Friday said the chief operating officer of Chitral Airport had asked the owner of the Fokker Friendship Restaurant to remove the grounded plane but the latter failed to do so.

It added that the restaurant’s owner also failed to prove his aircraft ownership and therefore, the eating place should be sealed immediately until the plane was removed.

Admin says eatery threatens flight operations

Assistant commissioner Alamgir sealed the restaurant on Saturday morning.

The 40-seater PIA aircraft had a crash landing at the airport on June 16, 2004, before falling into a sewer.

Former PIA pilot from Chitral Sirajul Mulk had reportedly purchased the grounded plane’s frame from the airline before establishing a restaurant in it in last Dec.

WASTE DISPOSAL: Chairman of the Chitral Environmental Protection Society Rahmat Ali Jaffar Dost has set three days deadline for the government to clear solid waste from Kagh Lusht area following the conclusion of a festival.

He told a protest rally here on Friday that the garbage thrown by picnickers in the plateau of Kagh Lusht had threatened the life of the grazing cattle as well as the wildlife, especially vultures and wolves, which face extinction.

Mr Dost said the Mastuj TMA had collected a large tax amount from stallholders and visitors in the festival but didn’t ensure waste disposal.

Saying the festival’s venue is the largest habitat of Eurasian wolfs, vultures, rabbits and several species of falcons, he complained that the fireworks set off during the festival frightened the wildlife.

Mr Dost warned that he would go on a hunger strike until death if the garbage wasn’t disposed of within three days.

BOOK LAUNCH: Two books were launched during a ceremony here on Friday.

One book titled ‘Allama Mohammad Ghufran’ was written by Dr Inayatullah Faizi and the other titled ‘Sabiq Riasat-i-Chitral Mein Tarz-i- Hukumrani’ was authored by Dr Mufti Younus Khalid.

The Mother Tongue Initiative for Education and Research, a Chitral-based organisation, had organised the event, where project director of Chitral University Prof Badshah Munir Bukhari was the chief guest. Former chairman of the Geography Department of Peshawar University Prof Israruddin presided over the function.

District naib nazim Maulana Abdul Shakoor and literary figures, including Shahzada Tanvirul Mulk, Maulana Khaleequz Zaman and Professor Mumtaz Hussain, commented on the two books.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2019