By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL: The levy force in Chitral will not be merged with the police force and will remain attached with district administration as usual commanded by the deputy commissioner as its ex officio commandant.
The 494-men force is primarily tasked with guarding the long and porous border of Chitral with Afghanistan and keep a vigilant eye on the infiltration from Afghanistan and check smuggling of contraband from and into the district while its amalgamation with regular police force was being anticipated since the last couple of months.
Confirming the news to Chitral Times, Chitral DC Khurshid Alam Mehsud said that the decision by the government recently about the merger of Levy and Khasadar force was applicable only to the merged districts and as such it will keep on working as usual.
He said that there was no any proposal under consideration regarding the reorganization of the force as it was achieving the goals efficiently for which it was raised many decades ago.
A retired official of the force Ajmal Khan said that the force has also helped to upkeep the local traditions and culture of Chitral while the continuance of polo is solely due to its brillant contribution which it is rendering by maintaing polo teams and employing talented players.
He said that the most of the players of Chitral team confronting its rival in Shandur Polo festival every year belonged to the force which also raises horses for its players.
The force also repulsed a number of attempts of infiltration of looters and plunderers entering the border from the Nooristan area of Afghnistan while it lost five of its jawans in Damil to the militants in 2011.
