CHITRAL: A legally grounded development framework is being prepared to protect the unique cultural identity of the Kalash people by putting in place a comprehensive habitat plan, disaster profiling atlas and a strategic capital investment plan.

The director-general of Kalash Valleys Development Authority (KVDA), Minhasuddin told local media here on Sunday that based on the roadmap of the chief secretary’s good governance agenda, the policy instruments are to be implemented.

He said the provincial secretary of tourism department, Saadat Hassan, visited the Kalash valleys in this connection and inaugurated a number of initiatives and held a detailed meeting with the elders of the valley.

He also presided over a meeting of stake-holders and officers of departments concerned to enforce the implementation.

Initiative includes health, tourism and sanitation promotion

He said that KVDA was the only development authority among the five other similar bodies in different districts of the province which had developed its own master plan, envisaging and covering all aspects of promoting sustainable tourism while all the activities revolved around this axis.

He said the secretary inaugurated a number of landmark projects which included the tele-medicine centre, camp offices of KVDA, sanitation scheme and tourist facilitation centre.

Regarding the significance of the tele-medicine centre, he said the people of the Kalash valleys will now be able to get themselves examined by a panel of specialist doctors based in Islamabad online for which satellite-based WiFi has been provided at the Bumburate hospital where basic diagnostic facilities were being provided.

The DG said that proper disposal of the sewage lines of the hotels situated along the stream through the Bumburate valley was totally absent thereby contaminating the drinking water and the project costing Rs3.9 million was inaugurated to solve the issue once and for all.

He said that the secretary told the heads of various government departments in unequivocal terms that the master plan was the basic document for the development of the Kalash Valley

which should be adhered to strictly in order to avoid haphazard development process in various sectors.

He said that the secretary further directed the officers to have a close coordination with the KVDA before jumping to any intervention so that it could be harmonised and be coherent with the habitat plan.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2025