Move to develop New Balakot City as tourism zone hailed

MANSEHRA: The chairman of Senate’s committee on defence, Lt-Gen (Retd) Abdul Qayyum, has welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s move to develop New Balakot City as a tourism zone but at the same time demanded him to take survivors of October 8, 2005 earthquake into confidence about all these developments.

“If this city, which is meant for the settlement of red-zone survivors is developed as a tourism-friendly zone it might be a commercial hub and would create employment and business activities for the locals,” he told reporters after visiting the New Balakot City and tourists attractions in Kaghan valley on Sunday.

He said that it was unfortunate that around 5000 survivor families were still living in small prefabricated houses in miserable conditions.

The Pakistan Muslim League-N senator criticised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for its ‘failure’ to promote tourism in the province.

“Believe me Kaghan valley is a paradise on earth but the provincial government has totally failed to develop it to attract tourists from within the country and abroad to earn huge revenue through this industry,” said Qayyum.