A protest rally was staged at Ayun after the Friday prayer today, where hundreds of people from all walks of life participated, from different parts of Chitral.
The protestors urged the government to stop the reckless deforestration in the area especially the activities of timber mafia in Chitral.
This is the series of protests started last month, where the locals from Ayun staged rallies and blocked the roads, later on 17 people were arrested.
While adressing the rally the speakers Mr. Salahudin (Ayun) , Mr. Sabir (Ayun), Mr. Salahudin Toofan (Drosh) , Mr. Zia Shah (Broze) and Mr. Sardar AC , crticised the forest department of Chitral for its blatant corruption , however, they urged the government to release the innocent people who have been arrested and pledged to continue the protest rallies unless the timber mafia is checked from chopping trees in Achulgah valley and other parts of southern Chitral.
The speakers said that the timber is being smuggled to south Pakistan from Chitral and the timber mafia seems very powerful that is also involved in the corruption along with the forest department of Chitral.
As a matter of fact, forests are the valuable assests of a country especially the develpoing countries like Pakistan which has very small forest belt on its mountain slopes and it would not be able to cope with such deforestration.
There is a dire need of a comprehensive plan of afforestration in Chitral where the pine forests are already in danger.