Recently I found a chance to pay a visit to Chitral valley with some of my family members to attend a marriage party. It was the second time during this year I was visiting my home town, first in July 2011 and then now in October 2011.During this visit I found the situation very different in the valley as compared to July 2011.The reason of the change is the establishment of check posts along the road that leads to Chitral town. Previously there was only one border check post on Lawari Top for the purpose to register foreigners visiting the valley.
The valley very famous for its peaceful and friendly environment has lost this aspect to some an extent as entering to Chitral town one have to cross through a number of military and scout check posts as well as police. It’s not only you have to go through these check posts rather you have to be fully examined and inspected at every check posts.
When I spoke to different people in Chitral about this they explained why the security check posts have been established. People in Chitral consider the recent attacks on security check posts along border is the main reason for the establishment of the check posts.
Chitral shares a long border with Afghanistan but it was never a trouble for the people of the living along side. Majority of the Border areas near to Afghanistan are in constant trouble due to the existence of the military and militants but this part of the border along Chitral has been peaceful as compared.
People were frequently telling about the story of the attacks that took place on security check posts resulted in killing of Chitral Scouts personnels.Now after series of attacks on these check posts the Pakistan Military have taken charge of the security along the borders of Afghanistan on Chitral side.
Although no other incident have so far taken place after the Pakistan Military taken charge of the security but people of Nuristan Province of Afghanistan now cannot cross the borders to reach hospitals in Chitral town. People from Nuristan province frequently visit hospitals and clinics in Chitral town for medical treatments. Nuristan province shares border with Chitral along Kalash valleys and majority of the people both in Kalash valleys and Nuristan areas have relatives on both of side of the border. It is pertinent to mention here that groups in Nuristan Province in the past have been involved in kidnapping people specially foreigners from Kalash valleys.
Whenever I have visited the valley during these months people have frequently asked me about the Lawari Tunnel project and the progress on it because this project is a hope for the people of Chitral to stay connect to rest of Pakistan twelve months of the year which is without tunnel not possible. But this time the security situation along the borders and to some extent inside the valley have compelled the people to think of the security situation rather to think about the tunnel.
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