CHITRAL: The people of the Beesti area of Chitral blocked the Besti road while conducting a protest rally against the brutal behavior of the emerald lease holder. The public meeting was chaired by Mirza Khan former councilor, who has been elected from the area three times. Addressing the public meeting and protest set in , the speakers said that the mountains of Besti contain the precious stones of emeralds and other minerals. They said that a non -local person namely Imran has got its lease in partnership with Anwaruddin. They said that we also learned that the mineral department issued lease of a minor mineral mine, but there is precious minerals like emeralds etc in this deposit. They said in a rally that so far the leaseholder has recovered about 100 billion rupees of emerald and precious stones from here, but he takes the goods into the darkness of the night so that no one can check it. It was also revealed that he not pay any tax to TMA Chitral. The aforementioned lease holders Imran and Anwaruddin pay million of rupees annually to the 41 households of Besti Bala, while their cargo vehicles pass through roads and people’s homes from within seven kilometers in lower Besti. They said that this is a rural road which was constructed by local people on self help basis. They said that at first lease holder did a written agreement with local people by giving us royalty and service charges as well as repairing of road and bridges but he have brought non -local laborers here, which is causing the sanctity and disturbing movement of our women.
They said that Chitral is a district where women often do the work of keeping livestock and they carry fodder for them, but due to the presence of these non -local laborers, the women here cannot take their livestock into their fields and effectively, People forced to sell their livestock.
They said that when the leaseholder vehicles bring these precious minerals and stones, our women often enter the fields of someone else to save their livestock because they drive with great carelessness. They said that this area is a sanctural area where Ibex, Markhur, Butter, and national birds increase their breed. After arrival of these people, these wild life also badly disturbed as they explode with explosives to cut the mountain, which has caused disappearing of these beautiful and wild animals and birds from here. However, in the past, the British people used to hunt regularly under the Hunting Trophy of Ibex etc , which used to give million of rupees to this backward area. But now these wildlife have disappeared from here and they have migrated to the neighboring country of Afghanistan, which is located on our border. Due to which the beauty and natural eco system of the area has been severely damaged and the beauty of the area has disappeared.
Speakers said that people here are forced to spend the bitter days of life in the most difficult situations due to the expensive. When these leaseholders come to our pastures, our women were deprived of going to these pastures because we have a problem of honor. Now we are forced to sell our livestock because of them. Speakers said that these leaseholders were eliminating emerald and other precious stones and other minerals from the mountain (deposits), by using explosive which caused the melting of glaciers which causing flood in rivers as a result we face widespread damage to crops, under cultivation land , orchards. they said that due to melting of glaciers we face server shortage of water and people of Besti will not be able to live here. They will be forced to migrate from here. An important natural beauty of the area was destroyed, which has a very negative effect on the area due to climate change.
There are so many glaciers but due to using heavy explosive water flowing from these glaciers contaminating, and causing our drinking water to be very dirty and with the use of ammunition and poisonous gas and chemicals here, that is why the environment here is very dirty and polluted. It is also great thread to human health and live. Apart from this, our animals have been forced to die every year and suffering from several diseases. They said that it has been revealed that these people are digging tunnels here. It appears that urea and DAP are being stocked in large quantities, as seven tunnels are likely to carry a huge explosion filled with ammunition and other explosives, which will not only cause a big blasting on the contrary, there is a strong possibility of severe damage to the houses. The use of large quantities of ammunition and DAP will make the water a mixture of poisonous gases. For a long time, this contaminated water here will will causing of death for us. Our crops are also hampering with the use of large quantities of ammunition.
They said that the youth of the area here are unemployed, but the owners of the lease are working to bring people from down districts. Speakers said that the leaseholder has NOC for Florerite and nominal minerals, but they are smuggling emeralds from here, which is harming not only the people of Arkari Chitral but it also causing great loss of Pakistan. Speakers said that un -trained persons are being deployed in these deposits for mining as a result a large quantity of thee precious stones wasting.
Speakers said that our roads and wooden bridges have been badly damaged due to heavy missionaries. It will be very difficult for small vehicles to pass on these bridges and roads. They said that the leaseholder had signed a written agreement with us that he will give them their privileges of royalty and service charges as well as the construction of the roads and bridges he will repair, but now he has turned his promise. They strongly appeal to the Chief Justice Supreme Court of Pakistan, Chief Justice Peshawar High Court, Chief Minister and high ups of mines and Minerals department to providing them justice and to release them from the oppression and bullying of the leaseholder and in this regard, regular judicial inquiries should be initiated in this regard. They also demanded for investigating to confirm that either the leaseholder is really have lease of emerald or extracting valuable emeralds on the lease of a cheap and nominal mineral and either government is also getting any benefits or he also giving loss to the national treasury due to the plight of a few officers and leaseholders.
Former Nazim Abdul Majeed, former councilor Mirza Khan and Roziman Shah and others alleged that when we demand for our genuine right from the leaseholder, he threatens us that they have long hands and having great links with high ups of mine and mineral and no body can take action against him. The sit -in protest was disbursed after the written assurance of DSP Garamchishma Tamizuddin that he will call the lease holder on the table of negotiating and would play a role for giving their rights to these people. A large number of people participating in the protest and public meeting. During the protest people also holding banners and play cards in their hands, which contained slogans about the leaseholder’s cruelty and they demanding forjustice. The gathering was later dispersed peacefully.
BY : Gul Hamad Farooqi.
