MANSEHRA: PTI chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday urged the people of Kohistan to preserve forests and wildlife and thus, attracting tourists to beautiful places in their district and earning a better living.
“Kohistan is such a beautiful place, where one can find traces of ancient history, treasures of rare metals and stones, and above all, forests and exotic species of wildlife. If you want to earn a better living for yourself and children, then you’ll have to preserve all these assets,” he told a public meeting at the Shahreed Barseer, a mountainous area of Pales tehsil in Kohistan.
Advisers to the chief minister Zargul Khan and Abdul Haq and special assistant to the CM on forests Ishtiaq Kharmor were also present on the occasion.
Interestingly, Imran Khan, who used public meetings in the past to criticise the prime minister, didn’t say a single word against Nawaz Sharif or the country’s current political situation.
Instead, his speech was focused on the natural beauty and assets of backward district of Kohistan.
Utters not a single word against PM or on political situation
“I have come here just to show untouched attractions to local and foreign tourists and the time is not for when you will reap the profit of preserving your natural assets,” he said. The PTI chief said Kohistan was the natural habitat of snow leopard, common leopard, markhor and pheasants and therefore, it should be preserved.
He said the provincial government would promote tourism in Kohistan and thus, guaranteeing a better future for the locals and their next generations.
“Though the government will ensure that health and educational facilities are established in remote parts of Kohistan, when tourists will come here, they might bring money with them, which will be spent on such facilities,” he said.
Imran Khan declared Shahreed Barseer as the Nation Park and said the government would develop infrastructure in the area to ensure accessibility of tourists to beautiful attractions in the district, which were still away from the people’s eyes.
Also in the day, the PTI chief visited the house of Abdul Haq, the adviser to CM, in Puttan, where local people informed him about their problems.
Imran Khan asked the education minister to initiate inquiry against the district education officers (male) and (female) on the people’s complaints that they were not sincere about promoting education in the district and often remained absent from duty. Imran Khan also accepted the invitation of political coordinator to CM Zargul Khan to visit Mansehra.
Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2016