Natural beauty of Kumrat to be preserved: minister

DIR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Tourism Atif Khan on Tuesday said that the natural beauty of the picturesque tourist destination Kumrat would be preserved at all costs.

He was talking to residents of Kumrat during his one-day visit to Upper Dir district.

During the visit, he went to Upper Dir’s tourist spots including Kumrat and Jahaz Banda.

PTI Malakand division secretary information Farhad Ali Khan, MD sports KP Junaid Khan and others were also present on the occasion.

The minister said that the provincial government had planned to pave the road leading to Kumrat, for which they had already completed their initial survey. He said that roughly, the estimated cost of the road project was Rs5 billion.

He also said that before working on the road, a proper strategy would also be applied for building hotels, motels and other structures in the picturesque valley.

The minister urged the residents of Kumrat and Thal to preserve the forests of the valley and for that purpose, the brutal cutting of the forests in Kumrat should be immediately stopped.

Atif said that he had come to Kumrat for the first time and after watching its natural beauty he declared Kumrat more beautiful than Switzerland.

The provincial government and provincial ministry of tourism would continue efforts to promote Kumrat as an attractive tourist destination, he added.

Atif Khan also visited the famous Khan Waterfall, which is named after Imran Khan in the Kumrat valley.