HARIPUR: Three people drowned here on Thursday, police said. Khanpur police quoted eyewitnesses as saying that a group of youngsters from Abbottabad were on a picnic to Khanpur dam and started bathing in the reservoir near old Masjid Rajgan.

Two of the immature swimmers, however, drowned whose bodies were fished out by the local divers, after an effort of a couple of hours.

The deceased were identified as Arsalan and Haseeb, residents of Salhad, Abbottabad.

In a similar incident the same day, another man later identified as Waheed, a resident of Chaklala Scheme III, Rawalpindi, also drowned in River Haro near Tarnawa bridge.

The River Haro is the main water source of the dam that also carries the seeping water of Khanpur dam, down to Attock area and is one of the attractions of tourists who prefer bathing near Tarnawa bridge.

Following drowning incidents that claimed three lives in a day, the Deputy Commissioner (DC). Haripur Khan Muhammad has banned swimming and bathing in the Khanpur dam reservoir and River Haro under section 144 CrPc for sixty days.

According to a handout issued by the DC office, the action of banning swimming activities in and around Khanpur dam and River Haro was taken for the safety of the life of picnickers.

The tourists were asked to desist from entering the water bodies.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

No time left
Updated 06 Feb, 2025

No time left

Climate change concerns continue to remain a footnote as politics dominates national discourse, surfacing only when disaster strikes.
Karim Aga Khan
06 Feb, 2025

Karim Aga Khan

PRINCE Karim Aga Khan was a man who straddled various worlds and cultures. Beyond his role as spiritual leader of ...
Cotton production
06 Feb, 2025

Cotton production

PAKISTAN’S cotton crop is on the ropes. The crop output has been falling since FY15, when the country harvested a...
Kashmir question
Updated 05 Feb, 2025

Kashmir question

The important thing is to continue dialogue process, on bilateral disputes, Kashmir issue, and move beyond rigid positions.
Letters from jail
05 Feb, 2025

Letters from jail

OVER the past week, former prime minister Imran Khan has directly addressed his concerns to both the chief justice ...
Agriculture tax
05 Feb, 2025

Agriculture tax

WITH Sindh and Balochistan finally approving changes to their agriculture income tax laws to harmonise their AIT...