MANSEHRA: The police have been put on alert ahead of the anticipated tourist influx in Kaghan Valley, said deputy superintendent of police Khushal Khan on Wednesday.

“We have deployed our personnel at tourist resorts in Shogran and will reactivate all police stations and posts, which were closed following the first snowfall last November,” the DSP informed hoteliers, jeep drivers and representatives of the local business community in a meeting.

He directed participants to strictly follow the standard operating procedures issued by the government for the tourism industry in Kaghan Valley.

“The clearance of snow from the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road is in progress, and the tourism season is expected to begin soon,” he said.

DSP asks hoteliers, jeep drivers to follow SOPs

The DSP said the National Highway Authority had started reopening the MNJ Road to restore traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as within the Mansehra district.

He said visitors should not be allowed near the Kunhar River due to its dangerous flow in the summer.

“Hoteliers and jeep drivers should sensitise tourists not to approach the river for their own and their families’ safety,” he said.

Mr Khan said a traffic management plan had also been devised, with wardens to be deployed along the MNJ Road from Balakot to Babusar Top.

“You should welcome tourists wholeheartedly, as they come here to enjoy the natural beauty and your hospitality,” Mr Khan told participants.

ROAD RE-CARPETING DEMANDED: The business community in Oghi tehsil on Wednesday urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority to re-carpet the roads dug up by the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited to lay pipelines.

“SNGPL excavated multiple sections of Mansehra and Battagram roads in Oghi beyond the designated points, leading to massive traffic disruptions,” local trader leader Waqar Ahmad told reporters.

Accompanied by a group of traders, he voiced concerns about the bad condition of roads and its impact on people’s life and business activities.

“This is a mega development project aimed at pplying natural gas to Oghi and surrounding areas but the contractor has dug up wide portions of key roads, affecting traffic flow and commercial activities,” he said.

The trader called on the KP Highway Authority to immediately re-carpet all roads, saying the pipeline laying has been completed.

“Our businesses have taken a major hit, and even pedestrians are facing difficulty through the town and nearby areas,” he said, demanding early road repairs.

TWO KILLED: Two people were killed when a Rawalpindi-bound truck skidded off the Karakoram Highway and fell into a deep ravine in the Shaukatabad Jigal area of Lower Kohistan district on Wednesday.

The accident occurred as the driver lost control of the truck on the way from Gilgit to Rawalpindi while negotiating a sharp turn, according to district police officer Taimur Khan.

He said since it was a difficult, mountainous terrain, the policemen, with the help of local youth, retrieved the bodies of driver Junaid Mehmood and |Adeel Khanand shifted them to the Dubair police station.

The bodies were later transported to Haripur for burial.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2025