MANSEHRA: The business community of Kaghan valley on Wednesday took to the streets, threatening to block the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road if the artery connecting Naran with Saiful Muluk lake was not reopened to traffic.
“If the ban imposed by the district administration on tourists travelling to Saiful Muluk Lake is not lifted, the business community will block the MNJ Road to all sorts of traffic in protest on Thursday,” Hotelier Association president Seth Matiullah told the protesters.
Carrying placards, the protesters, including hoteliers, shopkeepers, vendors and four-wheel-drive vehicle operators, assembled in Naran, the commercial hub of Kaghan valley, to protest the ban on travelling to Saiful Muluk Lake, which had remained in place for the past six days.
They raised slogans in support of their demands, saying the restrictions imposed by the district administration had adversely affected their businesses and the hospitality industry.“Saiful Muluk Lake is the backbone of the tourism industry in Kaghan valley, and the Kaghan Development Authority, despite orders from the district administration, has failed to reopen the artery, which is unacceptable to us,” Matiullah said.
Another office-bearer of the Hoteliers Association, Mohammad Farooq, said that if the KDA did not reopen the artery by noon on Thursday, they would block the MNJ Road connecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Gilgit-Baltistan.
“We will not allow anyone to destroy the tourism industry in Kaghan Valley through such tactics, as the business community has invested billions of rupees and pays huge amounts in taxes annually,” he added.
Farooq said the government should promote tourism in Kaghan valley instead of creating hurdles in its activities, adding that more than 150,000 people from across the country earned their livelihoods from tourism in the valley alone.
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner Balakot, Hasrat Khan, said the deputy commissioner had directed the KDA to resume tourism activities on the Saiful Muluk Road after making it safe for visitors.“We expect that if the weather remains clear, the Saiful Muluk Road will be reopened to traffic by Thursday,” he added.
