By Zahirud Din
CHITRAL: The residents of Mastuj, Laspur and Yarkhoon valleys have a launched a protest movement against the government for pressing their demand of starting work on the construction of road Booni-Shandur road and staged a sit-in at Mastuj for three hours here on Monday.
The protesters said that the duration of sit-in will be increased to 24 hours a day by the first of July and the road and the transportation of horses, tents and other paraphernalia for Shandur Festival will be stopped forcibly at Matuj which is scheduled to start from July 7.
The speakers Qazi Ehtesham, Ajmal Khan and others will addressing the protesters said that the road from Booni town to Mastuj and onward to Laspur and Yarkhoon was at its worst state in which dozens of people died due to the accidents of vehicles.
They said a massive bungling had taken place in the Booni-Shandur road by the department of communication and works whose officers withdrew hundreds of millions of rupees from the national exchequer by showing the road black-topped many years ago and got scot free.
On this occasion, one hundred and fifty persons presented themselves as volunteers by swearing on the Holy Quraan that they will go to any extent of protest and block the road leading to the Shandur Pass.
They asked the people of Gilgit-Baltistan to boycott the Shandur Festival by expressing solidarity with the people of Mastuj, Laspur and Yarkhoon.
They said that the sit-in will continue till a minister representing the chief minister arrives in Mastuj and guarantee them about the commencement of work on a definite date.
