By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL; The president of Chitral Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sartaj Ahmed Khan has said that the people of Chitral have rejected the results of the last population census during which did not include about half of its population with the result that more one of the two seats of provincial assembly seats from Chitral was being transposed to another district.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, he alleged that the government failed to make proper arrangements for conducting the census in Chitral due to paucity of funds and the enumeration process was carried out in haphazard manner.
He said that about half a million population of Chitral is settled temporarily in different metropolitan cities of the country and Gilgit-Baltistan while none of them were included in the enumeration process which raised many questions about the authenticity of its results.
Mr. Khan said that based on the strength of population, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has proposed to reduced a seat of provincial assembly from Chitral which is not acceptable to the people of Chitral who will go to any extent of protest against this injustice with them.
He said that Chitral was area-wise, the largest district of the province accounting for one-fifth of its total area and it was quite improper and reprehensible to make an enormous area of 15 thousand square kilometers of the district a single constituency of provincial assembly.
He has warned the government that if the ECP did not rescinded the proposal abolition of its provincial assembly seat, then the people of Chitral will start long march towards Islamabad and boycott the forthcoming general elections.
