CHITRAL: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday once again praised US President Donald Trump, hailing him as the diplomatic lifeline who steered Pakistan and India away from the brink of conflict, securing a ceasefire after their brief but intense military clash in May this year.
Addressing a crowd during his personal visit to Chitral, the prime minister swiftly shifted the conversation from geopolitics to local development, unveiling a series of ambitious plans aimed at transforming the remote northern district, which has long been in need of urgent attention.
In a notably personal gesture, as the prime minister went to congratulate an employee of the PM Office from Chitral, Sharif’s helicopter landed in the village of Gahirat, Lower Chitral, where he personally congratulated Fazlur Rehman Shahid, a Grade VII employee at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, on his recent wedding.
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The brief stop for this personal gesture was quickly followed by the prime minister’s helicopter making its way to nearby Saeedabad village, where Sharif was set to inaugurate a series of high-profile development schemes.
Under the harsh Chitral sun, Sharif delivered his speech while holding his own umbrella – a symbolic act that underscored his leadership style, one where even the simplest tasks demand his personal involvement.
Beneath the sweltering rays, Sharif outlined several key initiatives, including the establishment of a Danish School in Chitral, which he boldly claimed would rival Lahore’s prestigious Aitchison College.
The school, he promised, would offer free education, boarding, and lodging to impoverished and orphaned children, empowering them to compete at the national level.
Sharif’s development agenda extended beyond education. He also proposed a new university in Upper Chitral, a state-of-the-art hospital, and the long-awaited completion of the Chitral-Shandoor Road, a project expected to enhance connectivity with Gilgit-Baltistan by 2026.
In a striking move, Sharif pledged the revival of the Chitral Gas Plant Project, a long-stalled initiative from Nawaz Sharif’s tenure, and committed to implementing a uniform electricity tariff for Upper Chitral, a new district plagued by erratic power supply and sky-high bills.
“I will direct the Minister for Communications, Aleem Khan, and the Secretary of Communications to immediately restore the gas plant project […] they will come to you, and you will not have to go to them,” Sharif declared, signaling a renewed focus on Chitral’s infrastructure.
Turning to the ongoing power crisis in Upper Chitral, Sharif announced that Federal Minister for Energy Awais Leghari would visit the district next week to finalize a plan for a uniform electricity tariff – much-needed relief for residents struggling with soaring energy bills.
In a surprising turn, Sharif’s speech also addressed national security, with the prime minister reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to collaborating with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s newly-elected Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, to tackle the growing threat of terrorism.
Sharif expressed optimism about Afridi’s leadership and underscored the need for federal-provincial cooperation to address national challenges.
Ironically, however, while Sharif began his speech by specifically naming several prominent figures – including Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam, Information Minister Atta Tarar, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police and Chief Secretary – he reduced the local leaders of Chitral to the vague collective of “elders of Chitral.”
Even on their home turf, it seems local representation was not deemed worthy of individual recognition.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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