I HAPPENED to visit the tourist sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa particularly Swat recently. I found that the KP government’s claims of promoting tourism in the province were incorrect.

Most of the roads on which I travelled were dilapidated. There were no facilities worth the name for tourists from Bahrain to Kalam and even at Mahodant lake, which is a famous tourist attraction.

Kalam is almost inaccessible by road owing to the slow pace of road construction, accumulation of stones and rocks on the road. The road to Bahrain was equally bad barring a half-kilometre patch, which seemed newly carpeted. There is no metalled road between Kalam and Mahodant lake.

Another tourist spot, Shogran in Hazara division, is difficult to access because the road is severely broken and visitors cannot travel in a normal vehicle.

The KP government is requested to repair the roads and ensure adequate facilities like hygienic washrooms, hotels and restaurants.

Prof Dr Moonis Ahmar

Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2019