Presumed dead, five labourers return home in Chitral

As labourers return entire village breaks out in celebrations

CHITRAL: Five residents of the Chitral District safely returned home on Friday after they were reported to have died during their journey from Gilgit to Laspur via the Shandur Pass during the heavy snowfall.

The district administration said that five daily-wagers, including Sher Afzal, Sultan, Fazal-e-Ilahi, Wahid and Sher Ahmed had started on foot from the Shandur Pass owing to the heavy snow. But due to the harsh weather, they aborted their attempts to cross the pass and returned Gilgit.

However, they could not contact their families to relay information about their whereabouts for two days. As a result, rumours started to spread that they had been trapped in the snow and had possibly perished.



The district police and locals had formed search parties to recover the missing labourers. But when they reached Ghizer district in Gilgit-Baltistan, they were stopped by police at a Ghizer check-post who said that the Shandur Pass route was closed due to heavy snow.

However, when the men finally returned home safely, the entire village broke out in celebrations.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th, 2019.