DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Awami National Party (ANP) Central President Senator Aimal Wali Khan on Wednesday called on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to immediately declare Upper and Lower Chitral as calamity-hit areas following widespread destruction caused by recent torrential rains and flash floods.
In a statement, Mr Khan expressed deep concern over the extensive damage to infrastructure in both districts, saying that Upper Chitral had been cut off from the rest of the province after road links were disrupted. He criticised the provincial government’s response, terming its silence over the humanitarian crisis “regrettable.”
He said residents of the affected areas were facing severe hardships, with many deprived of access to clean drinking water while irrigation channels had also been washed away by floodwaters, leaving thousands of families struggling to cope.
The ANP leader demanded that all areas affected by the recent rains and floods, including Chitral, be officially declared disaster-hit to facilitate the immediate provision of relief and rehabilitation assistance.
He also called for a transparent and comprehensive assessment of losses on an emergency basis and urged the government to announce special grants for the affected districts to restore damaged infrastructure, particularly roads, bridges, drinking water supply schemes and irrigation systems.
Mr Khan said natural disasters required humanitarian action rather than political considerations, adding that the government’s foremost responsibility was to ensure relief, rehabilitation and timely assistance for affected communities.
He said the ANP stood in solidarity with the affected families and urged the government to move beyond symbolic announcements by taking practical measures to address their immediate needs.
