CHITRAL, May 3: Life came to a standstill in Chitral and in the towns of Booni and Drosh on Tuesday as a result of a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike to protest stoppage of work on the Lowari tunnel and the alleged transfer of its funds to Multan and Larkana.

The call of strike had been given by different political parties, traders and transporters unions, district bar association and human rights and civil society organisations.

The schools and colleges, both in the private and public sector, remained closed while the government offices had very thin attendance due to the strike. The passengers and tourists also faced difficulties as the hotels and restaurants also remained closed in protest. The exponents of the protest movement led by former MNA from Chitral Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali staged a sit-in at the PIA chowk.

Addressing the gathering on this occasion, the speakers including Maulana Chitrali, Maghfirat Shah (former district nazim), Siffat Zareen, Saeed Ahmed Khan, Abdul Latif, Haji Mohammad Yousuf, Akhunzada Rahmatullah and others warned the government of civil disobedience if the work on the project was not resumed immediately. They demanded that the government allocate at least Rs4.5 billion in the forthcoming federal budget for timely completion of the Lowari tunnel project failing which they would march to Islamabad and stage a sit-in in front of the National Assembly building.

The speakers censured the federal government for allegedly transferring funds of the Lowari tunnel project to Multan, the home district of the prime minister. — Correspondent