The District Police Officer (DPO) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Irfan Tariq, has announced that, in order to ensure the safety of tourists travelling between KP and Gilgit-Baltistan via the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road, vehicles will now be required to travel in convoys. This is just one of the precautionary measures being implemented in light of recent events in Kaghan Valley.
“Passenger coaches and other vehicles will be stopped at Barawai and another point in Kaghan after 5pm and will be allowed to proceed to the neighbouring Diamer (GB) in convoys through the Babusar Top,” district police officer Irfan Tariq told reporters here on Monday.
He said that the police force is currently conducting a search and strike operation in the aforementioned areas in order to ensure the safety of tourists.
He said a search and strike operation by the police from Barawai to Babusar Top along the MNJ road in upper parts of Kaghan Valley was well underway. The DPO made it clear that there was no threat to tourists or passengers but such measures were being adopted to ensure that no burglary took place on this side of the border.
Tariq highlighted that the purpose of this operation is to eradicate the possibility of burglary or other dangers to tourists.
He stated: We have also attached the tourists traveling to the Dodipat Sar lake with weather conditions as it is a dangerous mountainous track to reach there by foot or through horses and ponies and if the weather goes inclement, it could trigger any mishap for them.
The official said the tourists and passengers travelling through the MNJ road should extend cooperation to the police and follow the precautionary measures for their own safety. “We have deployed wardens from Balakot to Naran to ensure a smooth flow of traffic and visitors should avoid rash driving on this hilly artery,” the DPO said.
