KHYBER: Volunteer rescue workers on Wednesday disrupted the visit of caretaker Chief Minister Mohammad Azam Khan and Governor Haji Ghulam Ali to the site of Tuesday’s massive landslide near Torkham border crossing here.

Both the CM and governor flew to Landi Kotal in a helicopter before going to the landslide site in a motorcade along with heads of government departments to examine rescue operations.

As the two began speaking to a group of rescue workers, the local volunteers, including social activists, political workers, transporters and other residents, shouted slogans against the government over its “failure” to carry out an effective rescue operation and offer heavy machinery for the removal of bodies, vehicles and debris from under the mass of dirt and rock.

Some protesters alleged that the governor and CM were there for a photo op instead of ensuring speedy rescue work.

Protesters complain of slow rescue work, demand compensation

They also criticised the two for “wasting the taxpayers’ money” to ride a helicopter and said that amount of money should have been spent on the shifting of modern earth-moving machinery to the site of the landslide.

Some angry protesters tried to damage official vehicles with stones, prompting the CM and governor to leave in their cars swiftly.

Official sources told Dawn that Governor Ghulam Ali and CM Azam Khan jointly met some representatives of the people at the historic Michni checkpost and promised government help and support for rescue operations.

Haji Ilyas Shinwari, who was present in the meeting, told Dawn afterwards that the participants made three demands, including payment of compensation to the families of those killed by the landslide as well as the owners of damaged or destroyed transport vehicles, and speedy rescue operation with the help of heavy and modern machinery.

The governor and CM didn’t meet journalists.

Local sources told Dawn that the customs clearing agents and transporters hired at least two private cranes for remove heavy rocks from the landslide site to recover vehicles buried underneath.

They said that Rs60,000 was paid to crane owners on a daily basis and that efforts were being made for the early conclusion of the work.

Local transporters, traders and residents reportedly had warned the National Logistic Cell against carrying out controlled blasts in the area fearing the activity would trigger landslides to damage public life and vehicles.

Afghan transporters Hayat Khan and Haji Waris told Dawn that their vehicles were buried under heavy rocks and mounds of dirt and sand.

They also said the landslide had killed six to seven transport drivers, whose bodies had yet to be recovered from under the mass of rock and dirt.

The transporters demanded of Pakistani authorities to retrieve those bodies before the start of the imminent Eidul Fitr festival.

They said that eight of their vehicles loaded with goods were destroyed in Tuesday’s tragedy.

When contacted, officials of the district administration put the death toll from the landslide at three and said the number of injured had reached nine.

Meanwhile, immigration authorities allowed hundreds of stranded Afghan nationals to go to their country ahead of Eid holidays.

Officials told Dawn that over 1,000 Afghan nationals with just Afghan national identity cards had been stranded at the border point for the last few days.

They added that the concession was granted to Afghan nationals on a humanitarian basis to enable them to celebrate Eid with families in Afghanistan.

The officials said that all Afghans wanting to return would be allowed to cross into Afghanistan today (Thursday).

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2023