CHITRAL: The government has been asked to double the reserved seats for students from the newly-bifurcated Chitral districts in professional medical and engineering colleges of the province, citing a significant population increase and the persistent lack of educational infrastructure.

Talking to reporters at the Chitral Press Club here the other day, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Mahboob highlighted the disparity between the region’s current population and its representation in higher professional education, stressing that the existing quota no longer served the needs of the local populace.

He said that in the early 1980s, when the population of the undivided Chitral district was approximately 0.2 million, the area was allocated six reserved seats in medical colleges and one in engineering colleges.

“Despite the population having surged to nearly 0.7 million and the region being split into two administrative units (Upper and Lower Chitral), this quota has remained unchanged for decades.

Mahboob also pointed to the standard of education in Chitral, which has yet to see substantial improvement, making reserved seats all the more critical for local students striving for higher education.

He urged the government to review the archaic allocation formula and ensure fair representation for the youth of Chitral.

“Doubling the current quota is not a luxury, but a necessity to provide equal opportunities to our talented students who face unique challenges due to geographical remoteness and underdeveloped infrastructure,” he said.

Gojari Language: Leaders of Gujjar community of Chitral have expressed their gratitude to the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly Babar Saleem Swati and members of the house for recognizing their linguistic and cultural identity by including the Gojari language among the official languages of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and termed it an important milestone in the history.

Addressing a press conference at Chitral Press Club, the Gujjar leaders Haji Anzar Gul, Sher Muhammad, Maulana Abdul Rehman Gujjar, Maulana Fazal Azim, Maulana Fazal Alam, Gul Feroze, Abdul Qayyum and others expressed happiness that the assembly unanimously made Gojri the sixth recognized language along with English, Urdu, Pashto, Seraiki and Hindko.

They termed the move as a major step towards promoting the cultural heritage and identity of the community and the inclusion of Gojari among the official languages of the assembly is being seen as a victory for the Gujjar Movement, which has been advocating for language recognition since 1970.

“The community hopes that it will pave the way for further recognition of their language and its inclusion in education and other sectors will lead to rapid development of the backward area where Gujjars dwelled since long.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2025