CHITRAL: Kalash minority MPA Wazirzada has said the survival of the indigenous Kalash people is solely because of the majority Muslim community’s cordial relations with it.

Addressing the UN’s Indigenous Peoples Organisation in New York the other day, he said Kalash were known as the indigenous people of Chitral living there for last 2,000 years in three valleys comprising a population of 4,000 people, but they never faced any threat from the Muslim majority.

He said the Kalash and Muslims lived in peace and amity and it was due to this reason that the population of Kalash was increasing, while a false notion was being propagated that their population was waning which was totally baseless.

“The Kalash civilisation is conglomeration of a number of festivals which continue through most part of the year while their religious dogmas are also festivities in nature and it is heartening to note that the Muslim community does not impede the celebrations,” he said.

He demanded of the government to give the right of representation to the Kalash community in the parliament irrespective of their low numerical strength so their issues could be resolved.

Mr Wazirzada thanked the international community for extending moral and financial support to the Kalash community for their amelioration.

JI OFFICE-BEARERS NAMED: The Jamaat-i-Islami’s newly-elected Upper Chitral district emir Maulana Sher Karim Shah has nominated office-bearers of the party for five years.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday, Qari Faizullah will be patron-in-chief, while Maulana Fatehul Bari and Maulana Mohammad Murad will be naib emirs.

The other office-bearers include Maulana Attaur Rehman general secretary, Mufti Amin Ahmed deputy secretary, Maulana Habibuddin district spokesman and Mirza Alam finance secretary.

ILLEGAL APPOINTMENT: A resident of Kalash valley of Rumbur, Naseer Kalash, has demanded of the government to take notice of illegal appointment of a watchman (chowkidar) in the veterinary dispensary by the department’s director who picked the man from a village 53 kilometres away.

Addressing a press conference the other day and flanked by the elders of the valley, he said after the retirement of his father as chowkidar of the dispensary in early 2018, he was verbally ordered by the director to start his duties without pay till the post was advertised and interviews held.

He said as he was already working on the post, not a single person from the valley applied for the job, but to his utter surprise, a person from Denin village was appointed against the post.

Other elders said no other person other than Naseer had applied for the post when it was advertised so he should be selected unopposed.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2019