Lowari Tunnel Inaugurated at last !

Kufr toota khuda khuda kar kay!

Chitral .. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the Lowari tunnel today, Thursday 20 July 2017 – A milestone in the history of Chitral when it opens through an all weather road to the rest of the country. The Lowari tunnel has already set a world record of any tunnel taking so long to complete.

The people of Chitral have been suffering ignominious difficulties all this time in winters when the Lowari pass got blocked for six months and there was no other road connection for the people to use.

The concept of a tunnel through the Lowari pass was first presented by the late Ataliq Jafar Ali Shah as member of West Pakistan Assembly in 1957. In 1973 as the first MNA from Chitral he moved a resolution demanding the Lowari tunnel and got it passed unanimously by the National Assembly. The then PM Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto honoured that resolution and work was initiated on the tunnel in 1975. However not much progress was made on the job till 1977 when Bhutto’s govt was toppled by Gen Ziaul Haq and the tunnel was abandoned completely and immediately. A section of the Chitrali population was against the tunnel on the fears that the culture of Chitral would be adversely affected by this facility.

After Ziaul Haq’s fall, the subsequent governments of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif completely ignored the Lowari tunnel, until Gen Musharaff assumed power. He took personal and genuine interest in construction of the tunnel and the project was re-initiated in 2005. After the fall of Musharraf the subsequent PPP governments again shelved the project and diverted it’s allocated funds to Multan and Larkana.

Only after Nawaz Sharif came back to power in 2013 elections, did work resume on the project and the dilly dally progress courtesy the NHA and the SAMBU finally ended up in the 98 percent completed tunnel inaugurated by PM Sharif, today.

In his address at the inauguration ceremony PM Sharif expressed joy over the completion of the tunnel besides promising more developmental works on demand of the MNA Chitral Shahzada Iftikharuddin. .. CN report, 20 July 2017.

 

4 thoughts on “Lowari Tunnel Inaugurated at last !

  1. A historic day for Chitral. We hope that just as Nawaz Sharif has categorically said the tunnel can be used for travel from today onward round the clock, both in summers and winters, the NHA will not put any restrictions and ifs and buts on this facility under any pretext. Otherwise, instead of being credited Nawaz Sharif will be discredited for telling lies.

  2. Thursday July 20, 2017 the historical day when construction of Lowari Tunnel that started in 1975 by the then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, completed and inaugurated by our Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Shariff on July 20, 2017 at Dir side of the tunnel. This should have been inaugurated in Chitral in a huge and historical gathering of the people of Chitral. We the people of Chitral should now congratulate each other in and outside Chitral and at the same time raise slogans “Atalique Jafer Ali Shah MNA Zinda Baad, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Zinda Baad, Pervaiz Musharaff Zinda Baad and finally Mian Mohammad Nawaz Shariff Zinda Baad”. We are grateful to our prime Minister for his deep interest coming to Tunnel for its inauguration and for announcements made promising for Gas Depots, Women University and Chakdara Chitral road on the request/demand of our MNA Shahzada Iftikhar. We are and should be thankful to our Prime Minister and our MNA for getting approval of such Mega Projects from our Prime Minister. We also remember that there are many promises made by our Prime Minister waiting for execution. We hope that all these promises shall be fulfilled and executed in near future. Congratulation to our MNA MPAs, District Government and above all to all in and outside Chitral.

  3. Thanks Almighty Allah, the long outstanding mega project of Lowari Tunnel is completed and inaugurated by our Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on 20th July, 2017. Today, the Chitralians are very happy and I can feel the sentiments of my Chitrali community. On this occasion, I express my congratulation from the depth of my heart to all my brothers, sons of Chitral. The Prime Minister is also determined to complete all projects according to his commitments. However, the prevailing political turmoil is creating hurdles in the way of development. I personally request the citizens of Chitral to offer a prayers on next Friday in all the Jamia Masjids in favor of Nawaz Sharif.

  4. The request of prayers day for Nawaz Sharif is beyond politics and just because we, the Chitralians are traditionaly loving people and remember our MOHSINS and not forget them in hard moments.

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