Kaghan valley road set to reopen for traffic ahead of Eidul Fitr

MANSEHRA: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday announced that the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad (MNJ) Road would be cleared for all sorts of traffic ahead of Eidul Fitr to attract visitors.

“Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has directed the removal of glaciers and snow from the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road to facilitate tourism during Eid,” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Munir Hussain Lughmani told locals in Kaghan.

Accompanied by the Kaghan Development Authority (KDA) team, he also visited the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad (MNJ) Road and its connecting routes that link several villages with Kaghan valley.

Traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan was suspended in mid-November last year when Kaghan valley received its first snowfall of the winter season.“The people of Balakot tehsil, including Kaghan valley, heavily rely on the tourism industry. The provincial government aims to ensure that all roads are cleared during Ramazan so that tourism can begin from Eid and KDA has been assigned this task,” he added.

Lughmani, who was elected MPA from Balakot tehsil’s only provincial assembly constituency in the February 8 general elections, stated that the government was taking extraordinary measures to promote tourism in Kaghan valley and other scenic tourist destinations across the province.

“Our government is also addressing the challenges faced by the tourism industry, particularly the concerns of hoteliers in Kaghan Valley, to boost revenue,” he added.Meanwhile, traders and residents of Shinkiari have demanded the government to launch an anti-encroachment drive along the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in the city and its surrounding areas.They said that people from Bugermung, Konsh Valley, and Siran valley visit Shinkiari Bazaar for Eid and Ramazan shopping but suffer backlash due to the KKH’s blockade.