CHITRAL: District Nazim Chitral Maghfirat Shah has said that the World Food Programme (WFP) has agreed in principle to extend help to his government in providing subsidised wheat to the people on the pattern of Gilgit-Baltistan.

After his meeting with the WFP team headed by its provincial chief Bai Mankay Sankoh here on Sunday, Mr Shah told media persons that he had made clear to the team members that food insecurity was looming large over Chitral due to the devastating floods and earthquake of last year.

He said the people of Chitral were still vulnerable to natural hazards mainly due to the global warming and climate change while a number of villages acro ss the valley had been wiped out by the flash floods.

The district nazim said the total cultivable area had shrunk by half over the years creating food insecurity, adding the team was asked to divert the funds meant for poverty reduction activities in different forms to the district government to enable it to provide subsidised wheat to the people. Correspondent