Owners want benefits before declaring Kumrat Valley as National Park

DIR UPPER: The landowners of the picturesque and scenic valley of Kumrat have asked the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to take them first into confidence before declaring the valley as National Park.

The PTI Chairman Imran Khan during his visit to Kumrat valley in May this year had announced the scenic valley of Kumrat as National Park to promote tourism in the valley. “We are in favour of declaring Kumrat valley a National Park. But first, the PTI chairman should take us into confidence,” Gul Sher, President of Tahaffuz Haqooq-e-Qaum Dir Kohistan, one of the 10 tribe owners of the valley, told The News during Kumrat Summer Festival 2016.

“How can a party leader or government announces establishment of a park without taking owners of the land into confidence,” he said. The elder said the provincial government should first address their reservations and set terms and conditions acceptable to them.

He feared that after establishment of the National Park they and their children wouldhave no access to the forests, which are located on their personal land. The government through an agreement should pay us on yearly basis as royalty, he suggested.

Kalkot Tehsil Nazim, Tajbar Khan Kohistani, also expressed reservations over the PTI chairman announcement to declare the Kumrat valley as National Park without taking the land owners and local people into confidence.

However, he welcomed the PTI chairman’s decision to promote tourism in the valley. He said Imran Khan should first take them into confidence and set conditions acceptable to the landowners of the valley.

“The National Park will be our park and we will protect it,” Tajbar Khan said, adding that the government should first make it clear what will be the benefits for present owners and their children in future as the forests on the valley were a source of income and living.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s central and provincial council member, Zahid Faqar said that the PTI chairman should first hold meeting with the owners, remove their reservations and then establish the National Park.

There are reports that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Department was also not interested in the plan and had rejected it to launch Camping Paradise Project in the Kumrat valley. Imran Khan had declared that Kumrat valley was the most beautiful and scenic valley in Pakistan. He had announced declaring it National Park and invited tourists to visit it.

After his announcement, hundreds of thousands of tourists from across the country came to the scenic valley and enjoyed its natural beauty and sceneries.The PTI chairman then directed the provincial government to launch Camping Paradise Project in Kumrat to promote tourism and provide job opportunities to the local people.