Families from plains throng Shangla to enjoy Ramazan

BISHAM: Hundreds of families from various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have thronged the mountainous Shangla district to enjoy pleasant weather in Ramazan.

Families from Mardan, Peshawar, Nowshera, Swabi districts and other parts of the country usually rent houses and book rooms in hotels to spend Ramazan in cool climes of Shangla as it is hard to fast in the scorching heat in plains.

Most of the visiting families have arranged accommodation in Alpuri, Olander, Yakh Tangi, Shahpur, Ajmir and other scenic areas. Even the mosques are accommodating members of Tableeghi Jamaat to fast in a relax environment in the hilly areas. Huffaz and religious scholars from down country have also come to the district to lead prayers and recite Holy Quran in Taraveeh.

Talking to The News, officials at the Mian Jan Shaheed Police Station in Alpuri, the headquarters of Shangla, said that more than 1100 families have so far registered themselves with them. Most of the families have come to Alpuri where the mercury remains low in summer season.

 Alpuri is surrounded by thick forests and has plenty of streams. It is a scenic valley with a lot of greenery.

Qari Hamdullah, a resident of Lakki Marwat, said that he along with his family visited Shangla every year in Ramazan to fast there. “I lead Khatm-e-Quran in Taraveeh and pray in a cool environment with peace of mind,” he added.

Zahir Ahmad of Peshawar said that he had come with his family to fast in cool weather of Shangla.  He said the weather remained very cool in the valley and the tourists prefer to come and stay here and enjoy the weather. “The weather is very nice and there is even no need for fans. We enjoy fasting here,” he added.

Gul Zaman, who belongs to Karak district and is an engineer by profession, said that he had rented a house for Rs30,000 for two months. He said he had enrolled his kids in a state-run-school to save their time from being wasted. He said one didn’t feel thirsty and people usually wear sweaters early in the morning. “One cannot think of wearing sweaters in the plain areas in June,” he added.

Young people can be seen frolicking in the springs in Yakh Tangi, which is a famous tourist spot.

President Shangla Society Afsarul Mulk Afghan, who had come to Yakh Tangi with his friends, said that it was a beautiful place for tourists to visit. He said the government should declare Yakh Tangi a tourist spot and provide facilities to promote tourism.

An official of the district forest office, Farhad Ali Khan, said that the high mountains and thick forests in the district were the secrets of the beauty and pleasant weather of Shangla. He said mercury remained low in summer in Shangla. He said the government had run various awareness campaigns among locals about the importance of forests. “The number of trees is growing and it’s adding to the beauty of the scenic valley,” he added.

He said that issues of global warming and climate change could be neutralised by protecting forests and planting more trees. The locals are also happy as they have rented out their houses and rooms to tourists and tourism has become a source of livelihood for them. The residents have also demanded the government to provide facilities in Shangla to promote tourism there.