Night travel to GB via Kaghan valley banned

MANSEHRA: The district administration and police department on Thursday imposed a ban on night travel from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Gilgit-Baltistan via the Kaghan valley.

“We have deployed police on our side, and Chilas (Gilgit-Baltistan) police on their side, to restrict travel between Naran and Babusar Top from 6pm to 6am,” District Police Officer Shafiullah Khan Gandapur told reporters.

He added that police personnel had been deployed to enforce the night travel restriction from Naran, the commercial hub of Kaghan valley, to Babusar Top, the highest point of the route.“We are hopeful that passengers and tourists will comply with the travel restrictions, which have been put in place for their safety due to several reasons, including recent snowfall at Babusar Top,” Gandapur said.

A joint circular issued by the district administration and the police department restricted all types of travel between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as within the Kaghan valley, for the safety of passengers and motorists.

“Traffic on the Naran to Babusar Top section of the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road will remain suspended throughout the night until further notice,” the circular stated.It further mentioned that the night travel ban in the Kaghan valley was jointly enforced by the district administration and the police department to ensure the safety and security of tourists, motorists, and passengers travelling on buses and coaches between KP and GB.

The circular advised tourists, bus drivers, and other motorists to plan their journeys between Babusar Top and Naran in accordance with the night travel restrictions.Traffic between KP and GB resumed last week after the National Highway Authority cleared the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road, which had been blocked by heavy snowfall in the Kaghan valley since November last year.