CM aide calls for early blacktopping of Karakoram Highway.

MANSEHRA -- Adviser to the chief minister on culture and tourism Zafar Mehmood on Saturday called for the early blacktopping of the Karakoram Highway to facilitate visitors to Hazara division.

'Travellers, motorists and transporters have been suffering the brunt of a long delay in the blacktopping of the KKH from Abbottabad to Mansehra, so the National Highway Authority should expedite work for completion before the start of tourism season,' Mr Mahmood told a function here.

The CM's aide said the federal government had allocated huge funds for the blacktopping of the Qalandarabad- Shinkiari section of the KKH after the strategically important artery developed dangerous cracks and became dilapidated at many places.

'After the start of the tourism season, especially around the festival of Eidul Fitr, tourists are expected to use the KKH in record numbers to reach scenic valleys and destinations in Hazara division and neighbouring Gilgit-Baltistan region and therefore, the government wants the blacktopping project to be completed without delay,' he said.

Says govt committed to facilitating tourists

Mr Mahmood said the government was striving to provide a peaceful environment to tourists in the province, including Hazara division, and therefore, all available resources were being used for it.

'We expect that the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road that was blocked to traffic beyond Kaghan town due to heavy snowfall in November last year would be cleared by the end of March or early April,' he said.

The CM's aide said tourists would be welcomed in Malakand and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well.

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