CHITRAL: Residents of Mastuj, Laspur and Yarkhoon valleys on Monday staged a sit-in in Mastuj for three hours against the government for not starting work on construction of Booni-Shandur Road.

The protesters said they would extend the duration of the sit-in by July 1 and would also stop transportation of horses, tents and other items for Shandur Festival scheduled to start from July 7.

The protesters said the road from Booni town to Mastuj and onward to Laspur and Yarkhoon was in bad shape, resulting in several fatal accidents.

They accused the communications and works department of committing massive corruption in the funds meant for constructing the road. They asked the people of Gilgit-Baltistan to boycott the Shandur Festival by expressing solidarity with the people of Mastuj, Laspur and Yarkhoon.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2019