Lack of proper safety: Hot air balloon operations stopped

MANSEHRA: The police department has barred the flying of a hot air balloon operated without prior government approval in the Bisian area of Balakot.

“A group of individuals launched a hot air balloon without obtaining permission from the relevant government departments, endangering the lives of adventurers. We took action and suspended the activity until the operators secured the required license,” District Police Officer (DPO) Shafiullah Khan Gandapur told reporters on Saturday.

A police team, led by SHO Balakot Faisal Khalil, made a surprise visit to the field where the operators were conducting hot air balloon rides. They confiscated the hot air balloon and the equipment used to operate it.

DPO Gandapur said that unauthorised activities of this nature would not be allowed. “We cannot permit such operations that put lives in danger. The operators must secure a license from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government or the relevant department,” he said.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) MNA and former federal minister for religious affairs, Sardar Mohammad Yusuf, inaugurated the hot air balloon last month in the Bisian area of Balakot.

“At its launch, the operators claimed it was the only flying machine of its kind in the country. They promised adventurers an aerial tour of Kaghan Valley. However, the balloon could only cover a distance of 200 meters, and they charged Rs5,000 per passenger,” a resident said.

He added that no safety equipment was provided to the riders, putting their lives at risk. “Such initiatives can boost tourism if conducted with proper safety protocols,” he said.