CHITRAL: The sit-in of the residents of Injigan valley in Lower Chitral against the loss of their centuries-old polo ground due to the alleged negligence of the district administration entered the third day in Garam Chashma area here on Monday.

On the occasion, Nusrat Elahi, president of Lotkoh Development Forum (LDF), told mediapersons that when a local person laid claim to a part of the polo ground’s land in court, the district administration did not defend the case earnestly. He said the person got a verdict from the court and occupied the land, but the district administration neither sought status quo on the matter nor appealed the ruling in the sessions court.

He alleged earlier, due to negligence of the district administration, the man had got the piece of land registered in his name during the ongoing land settlement process.

Mr Elahi said the loss of land had enraged the residents of the valley as it was the only playground in the area. He said all the residents were united on the platform of LDF to save the playground, which had been the state property for last three centuries and had also been included in the extraordinary gazette notification of 1975.

He said the valley residents were demanding of the government to purchase the piece of land from the man.

“The residents are determined to go to any extent to get back the land of the polo ground as it is the question of the future of the new generation, who have no place of recreation other than it,” he added.

Lower Chitral deputy commissioner Mohammad Imran Khan said the court verdict was pronounced before he took charge of his office.

He said a solution to the public issue was being hammered out with the man, and the land could be redeemed by paying him an agreed amount of money.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2024