Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) lawmakers from Chitral threatened to boycott Senate elections if the Lowari Tunnel blockade is not resolved within four days.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Saleem Khan from PK-89, Chitral-I and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Sardar Hussain from PK-90, Chitral-II said Imran Khan promised the Lowari Tunnel issue would be resolved soon. However, they pointed out during a joint news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Friday that little was done in this regard.
Hussain said he had moved a resolution in the K-P Assembly, asking the tunnel remain open for three days a week during winter; it is usually opened for a set number of hours once or twice a week. He added the resolution was passed unanimously in the house, but no tangible steps were taken to give it practical shape.
The two lawmakers demanded the government keep the tunnel open for six hours on a daily basis. They said if their demand is not met by February 10, they will boycott the upcoming Senate elections and refuse to attend any future sessions of the K-P Assembly. Hussain and Khan said the tunnel was only open for 12 hours a week which was an atrocity against the people of Chitral.
“Since January 20 this year, Chitral district has been disconnected from other parts of the country,” said Hussain. The lawmaker stressed the problem persists for five months a year and people were living in a miserable condition.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2015.