CHITRAL: The decision of the provincial government to celebrate platinum jubilee celebrations of the first time scaling of Terich Mir, the highest peak of Hindukush range of mountains, has filled the people associated with tourism industry with joy and hope for the revival of eco-tourism in the area.

The representative of tour operators, Sahib Alam, said that the chain of events in connection with the platinum jubilee would attract mountaineers, including those who arrived there on expeditions during the past seven decades, to the region.

He said that provincial government had taken a right decision at a right time to restore the confidence of mountaineers, who were diverted mostly to Gilgit-Baltistan during the last couple of years due to one reason or the other.

He recalled that every year till 1990s, many teams of mountaineers used to come to Chitral to climb different peaks of Hindukush where there stood more than 200 peaks of height more than 6,000 meters.

Mr Alam asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) to involve local stakeholders of tourism while chalking out details of the celebrations to make it a success and evoke the interest of the locals as per their cultural traits.

FLOUR: The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) provided cheap flour of Prime Minister’s Sasta Ata scheme to Christian community in Chitral on the eve of Easter in Kamerate area of Faizabad.

The regional manager of USC, AmalSattar Khan, said on the occasion that it was a great pleasure for him to serve the minorities by offering them the subsidised wheat flour at their doorsteps.

The representative of the community, Baber Maseeh, thanked the government for giving due importance to minorities, safeguarding their rights and religious freedom and honouring them on the occasions of their festivals.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2024