Why did we present a ludicrous demand to the PM?

Dear Sir,

I saw on facebook a list of demands put up to the prime minister during his visit to Chitral. Amongst the list was a a naive demand about starting air service between Chitral and Khorog in Tajikistan. For those who have seen Khorog, it is a shanty town, maybe even worse placed than Chitral. Who on earth came up with this ‘wise’ idea.

For starting an air service between the two towns,?first both of them have to be upgraded to an intentional airport status. Then you have to find reasons for the service as both the towns are pretty feeble in economic activities. After the first couple of flights there would be dearth of passengers to travel the route. PIA attempted Islamabad-Dushanbe flights a couple of times but had to give up within two months. Have things changed so much since?

We should be very careful and rational with our demands. If a couple of genuine demands are padded with equal number of impractical ones, the genuine demands get slighted and are not taken seriously either. .. Muhammad Ashraf, 04 Feb 2018

4 thoughts on “Why did we present a ludicrous demand to the PM?

  1. If this demand was really put up to the prime minister, then I consider it strange, because we have only two flights a week connecting Chitral to the capital of the country and we want international flights from here. More realistic would have been to demand increase in flights between Chitral and Islamabad/Peshawar.

  2. While I respect the views expressed, I strongly disagree with the tone and expression of the content of the writer. First, no idea is ludicrous, it is important to the person who expresses it regardless whether or not it is acceptable to others.
    The idea is neither naive nor ludicrous; it is an idea some may agree with while others may disagree. Second, I am not sure if the writer has the expertise either in civil aviation or business development to determine the viability of the idea. Third, Chitral News has reported recently that five new airlines are being lounged covering ten destinations all located in far flung areas including Chitral, Parachinar, Skardu, Tubat and others. Forth, I have visited Khorog a number of times via different routes, namely London -Istanbul – Moscow – Dushanbe – Khorog and via Afghanistan.
    I also have traveled from Khorog to Zebak and Chitral via Durah Pass. Khorog’s size is comparable to any mountain or desert towns of any country but that is not the point that could have triggered the idea proposed. It is its location which is the closest and central to the major cities and national capitals of the Central Asian region.
    It may not sound viable today, but certainly it has great potential in the coming years. Finally, if the government and law makers decide to deregulate the airline industry as they have been doing for sometime including the move to privatize partly the PIA which has been losing enormous amount of its revenue for several years, then it is up to the private airlines to study and determine the prospect of business viability.
    On our part, we need to encourage ideas which have bearing on the development and prosperity of the region and do so respecting everyone’s opinion whether agreed or disagreed. We don’t have to agree on everything but we can develop an attitude to agree to disagree.

    1. Presenting a demand to the Prime minister on his visit is not an individual’s opinion but it represents collective wisdom of the leaders who are framing such demands. Pointing out an impractical proposal which may undermine genuine proposals, does not mean one is opposing anything. With due respect, I find nothing wrong with calling ludicrous as ludicrous or naive as naive.

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