By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL: Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton of Britain paid a one-day visit to Chitral here on Wednesday during which they flew to Baroghil valley in the extreme north and the Bumburate valley in the south, the abode of the ancient people.
In Baroghil valley, the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge observed a number of glaciers and the process of disintegration and the formation of glacial lakes from a close range while they were briefed about the situation by a geologist.
They were told about the phenomenon of climate change which triggered the process of the recession of the glaciers that spelt disasters in the form of floods.
The royal couple was also told about the ecological importance of the valley which housed a large number of glaciers while the vulnerability of the people living in the marginalized valley also made known to them.
Upon reaching Bumburate valley, the couple was given a red-carpet reception by the Kalash community led by MPA Wazir Zada from where they drove to a number of sites devastated by the flash floods in 2015 while the couple was told about the root causes of the natural disasters.
It was the apex moment of joy for the celebrating Kalash people when they the Duchess attired in Kalash dress and the duke with a white Chitrali cap mingled with them in the open atmosphere in festive mood discussed with them about their rituals.
The couple evinced a great interest in the traditional concert of music and dancing which they remained in the midst of the Kalash people.
MPA Wazir Zada told Dawn that during the interaction of the royal couple, the Kalash people expressed different aspects of their primitive culture and also highlighted their issues which posed threat to their survival.
He said that they were also briefed about some of the interventions of Aga Khan Development Network aimed at poverty reduction and raising the standard of life of Kalash apart from making resilient for natural disasters.
The couple also expressed interest in the preservation of wildlife species including kashmir markhor whose population was on steep increase due to the collective efforts of the communities.
On this occasion, the minority MPA Wazir Zada told the couple that the Kalash community highly indebted to the Muslim community living in the valley for the survival of the 2000-year old civilization.
He said that the Muslim community was friendly towards them and it were they who safeguarded them against any aggression from the outside and they never treated them as inferior.
Later on, the couple also visited a number of typical houses of Kalash in Kandesar and observed the different ways of life of the people known for their unique and prehistoric culture.
Sources said that due to the shortage of time, the royal couple could not find a time to visit the old fort of Chitral was also included in the itinerary of the visit and the couple left for the federal capital before dusk.
