MANSEHRA: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday announced that the snow-hit Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road would be cleared to traffic ahead of Eidul Fitr to attract visitors.

“Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has ordered the removal of glaciers and snow from the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road to facilitate tourism during Eid days,” MPA of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Munir Hussain Lughmani told people in Kaghan.

Accompanied by a team of the Kaghan Development Authority, the lawmaker also visited the MNJ Road and its connecting routes that link several villages with Kaghan Valley.

Traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan was suspended in mid-November last year when Kaghan Valley received the first snowfall of the winter season.

“The people of Balakot tehsil, including Kaghan Valley, heavily rely on the tourism industry. The provincial government aims to ensure that all roads are cleared during Ramazan so that tourism can begin from Eid and KDA has been assigned this task,” he said.

Mr Lughmani, who was elected MPA from Balakot tehsil’s only provincial assembly constituency in the Feb 8 general elections, said that the government was taking measures to promote tourism in Kaghan Valley and other scenic tourist destinations across the province.

“Our government is also addressing the challenges faced by the tourism industry, especially the concerns of hoteliers in Kaghan Valley, to boost revenue,” he said.

Meanwhile, traders and residents have demanded the launch of an anti-encroachment drive along the Karakoram Highway inShinkiari and adjoining areas.

They told reporters that people from Bugermung, Konsh Valley and Siren Valley visited Shinkiari Bazaar for Eid and Ramazan shopping but suffered due to the KKH’s blockade.

The traders and residents said if the government couldn’t initiate a full-fledged campaign to do away with permanent encroachments, it should at least remove makeshift illegal structures.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2025