New trail to be developed in Shah Allah Ditta

Islamabad:The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) would develop a new walking trail near caves in Shah Allah Ditta to attract more local and foreign tourists to this ancient site.

According to the details, the IWMB chairperson visited the ancient site and asked the concerned officials to prepare a plan to develop a walking trail. The beautiful site is part of the protected Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) but at the moment there is no proper mechanism for patrolling to ensure its protection.

The IWMB will also put in place a new mechanism to carry out patrolling and keep vigil over those elements who are allegedly involved in grabbing forest areas of the national park. It is pertinent to mention here that the 44-kilometre Margalla Ridge trail was inaugurated in November 2018 that stretches from Shah Allah Ditta to Summa, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

A beautiful Shah Allah Ditta is a centuries-old village at the foothills of the Margallah hills and considered one of the main attractions for the tourists due to 2,500-year-old Buddhist caves that are located next to the shrine of Hazrat Shah Allah Ditta, a Mughal-era-saint.

Currently, there is a caretaker of the caves whose grandfather was actually granted this responsibility from a Hindu family after participation of the sub-continent. These caves also have religious significance for local people because the devotees often visit this place throughout the year. The IWMB that works under the climate change ministry has been continuously developing walking trails and tracks for the visitors and trekkers in the heart of the Margalla hills.

The spokesperson of the climate change ministry informed that a plan is under way to develop new walking trails in the Margalla hills and IWMB has already inaugurated some of them in the recent past.