CHITRAL; The recent snowfall in Broghil valley in the extreme north of Upper Chitral bordering the Wakhan corridor of Afghanistan has further aggravated the situation of food insecurity in the area, which has been cut off from rest of the district due to the closure of its only road since December last.

The former village nazim of Broghil village council Amin Jan Tajik told the local media here on Wednesday that the residents of the area and their livestock were in dire need of food items due to continuous blockade of the road.

He said that as instant relief, food items both for the people and their animals needed to be dropped by C-130 planes as had been done in 1970s when same situation popped up there.

Mr Tajik said that re-opening of the valley road on war footing by using heavy machinery was the long-term and inevitable option to ensure supply of food on required scale, as the supply by plane will be too inadequate.

He regretted that had the government opened the road to the valley after December snowfall, items of daily use could have been replenished in sufficient quantities and the imminent famine-like situation could have been averted.

He said frantic calls of the residents of Broghil for the last four months have fallen on deaf ears of the authorities, who were downplaying the most frustrating and trying circumstances in the valley.

He insisted that the survival of their livestock was equally significant as no farming activities were possible there due to extreme weather and the yaks and goats were the principal source of their livelihood, which they sold in the markets of Chitral and Gilgit to earn hard cash.

Mr Tajik said the perishing of yaks meant financial disaster for the residents of the valley as they would lose their principal, and in many families, the only source of income.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2025