CHITRAL: The recent announcement of the government to reopen the Durah Pass for trade with Badakhshan area of Afghanistan has filled the residents of Gobor valley here with joy who foresee prosperity and progress to be brought by the measure.

During a special meeting with representatives of Chitral Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Shad Sadim village of Gobor here the other day, the elders, including Mohammad Hussain, Maulana Hazrat Jalil, Gul Ahmed, Nazur Shah, Jalaluddin and others, said reopening of the border for trade would prove a leap forward for reducing the rampant poverty in this remote area.

They said the locals were still deprived of basic necessities of life and had no source of sustenance other than cattle farming which was also affected by harsh weather. They recalled the days when the route had been introduced for trade in the 1990s and being the first border village, Shad Sadim had become the hub of economic activity.

It was a period of affluence for the residents of not only Gobor but also Lot Koh area due to trade activities which provided chances of employment for locals on one hand and an opportunity to market their livestock, milk products, agricultural produce in a competitive way on the other, they noted.

We are now in a better position to derive optimum benefits inherent in the trade route passing through our area making our village the major centre of activities, and it is due to this reason that the residents are eagerly awaiting its reopening, they said.

On the occasion, the founding president of Chitral Chamber Sartaj Ahmed Khan said the decision to reopen the Durah Pass and Arandu border would have most pleasant affect on the general environment of Chitral.

He said the people of border areas like Gobor and Arandu should start preparing themselves to meet the challenges accompanying the reopening of the route.

He said his organisation would leave no stone unturned in imparting training and awareness to the residents of border areas to prepare them to take due part in the business activities.

GIRL COMMITS SUICIDE: A girl in Sonoghur village of Upper Chitral reportedly committed suicide by jumping into the Chitral River after she secured less marks in the intermediate examination results.

An official of Booni police station told Dawn that the deceased was a student of a local college, whose body was retrieved near Charun village.

He said an inquiry had been started to unearth the reasons leading to the incident.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2019