Over 500 families were displaced from Chitral and four bridges were destroyed when militants entered Arandu Tehsil from Afghanistan and attacked security forces’ check posts on Saturday. Thirty seven security forces personnel also lost their lives in the violence and four are still missing.
Former Tehsil nazim Sartaj Khan told Pakistan Today that the displaced families were already facing various problems, including shortage of food items. He said these families were now dependent on supplies from Afghanistan. Two elders of Arandu also shared similar views on the hardships to stranded families from Kahoti and other villages.
Darosh Tehsil elders, particularly from Arandu, met the District Coordination Officer (DCO) Rehmat Ullah Wazir, District Police Officer (DPO) Abdul Rashid and Commandant of the Chitral Scouts as they looked to find ways to prevent a similar violence in future. Certain plans were agreed in the meetings.
Khan said the authorities were informed about the problems faced by stranded people of Kahoti and other villages, adding that officials assured that ferry services would be provided. He said it was imperative to reconstruct destroyed bridges to address miseries of the stranded people. Elders of the area grieved that the stranded people were now left at the mercy of militants, who were now commanding border areas of Afghanistan.
Responding to these concerns, the DCO directed concerned quarters to initiate ferry services in the affected area, adding that efforts would be made to reconstruct the destroyed bridges at the earliest.
