Nestled between the pine trees at 1,980 feet in the Himalayas, the 117-year-old Narar Forest Rest House is situated on the highest plateau in Kahuta, far from the bustling city.

Its sloping roof, chimneys, wood pillars and verandas, surrounding by a sprawling lawn and set against the scenery of the Kashmir mountains recall bygone times, when the British colonial forces set up the rest house in 1902 as a getaway for their officials.

When the British established hill stations such as Murree, they would also select some sites in the Himalayan Range where they would spend the summer and built such rest houses in dense forest areas.

They were used by colonial officers as they made their way around the Indian subcontinent, when people primarily travelled by horse and changed their horses every 20 miles.

Back then, Narar and its adjoining areas were used to recruit soldiers for the British forces. More than 207 men from this village fought in World War One; 35 of the recruits died, and their names are listed on a plaque near the rest house.

The area itself is 13 to 14 kilometres from Kahuta. It is home to mountain scenery, dense forests, waterfalls and streams, and is attractive to tourists because of the temperate weather. To the east lie the Kashmir hills and Jhelum River, and to the west are the Murree hills.

A cemented road that leads to the rest house is interrupted by a 3km patch that visitors have to traverse on foot at the top of the hill, because the main road is dilapidated and potholed to the degree that it cannot be used by vehicles.

The condition of the road speaks to the indifference of past local administrations that failed to maintain the area for tourists and visitors.

However, the brick rest house is in better condition. Its tile floor, wooden windows, doors, fireplaces and bathrooms were refurbished in 1993 to give the building a more modern appearance, but the bathrooms retained the colonial feature of a small partition separating the toilet from the bathing area.

Colonial era furniture is still in use, from beds to sofas, dining table chairs, dressing tables and even kitchen utensils. A natural stream runs through the backyard, from where rest house employees fetch water for use at the rest house.

But the rest house receives few visitors because of the lack of electricity and natural gas there. Visitors who do make it there have said that the government should build a road but should not change the building’s interior or its basic infrastructure, and its green surroundings should be preserved as is.

With the Punjab government planning on developing new hill stations in Rawalpindi that could compete with Murree, the scenic beauty of an area such as Narar has the capacity to attract visitors, Divisional Commissioner retired Capt Saqib Zafar told Dawn.

He said the Potohar region has a number of sites and mountains that will be developed as tourist sites under a comprehensive policy in this regard. Mr Zafar added that he has visited Kahuta, Kotli Sattian and Jhelum and identified more than three places that have the potential to attract tourists.

“A forest rest house in Narar was identified that could be utilised for visitors’ accommodation. Work on preservation will be started soon,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2019