Govt urged to restore tourism activities in Kaghan valley before Eid

MANSEHRA: The workers attached with hotels and picnic spots in Kaghan valley have demanded the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to restore the tourism activities before the Eidul Azha.

“We have been following the standard operating procedures set by government to contain spread of coronavirus in Kaghan valley but the government is yet to restore tourism activities in the province,” Muhammad Amjad, a tea stall vender in Malkandi area of Kaghan valley, said on Sunday.

Three employees at the tea stall were sitting idle, waiting for the customers, saying their business was mostly dependent on tourists as locals little contributed to their daily income. Amjad said that the chief minister during his visit to Kaghan valley announced to restore tourism activities soon after Eidul Azha.

“We have been without work since November last year when Kaghan valley was completely blocked because of the heavy snowfall,” he said. Muhammad Khan, a tour operator from Islamabad, said that hundreds of thousands of workers, apart from hoteliers, were rendered jobless.