MANSEHRA: Residents took to the streets on Tuesday to demand the demolition of what they called an illegal toll plaza on the Karakoram Highway in the Khatain da Galla area here.

The protesters, including traders, gathered on the main road and chanted slogans in support of their demand. They alleged that the government had increased the toll tax from Rs70 to Rs100 instead of abolishing the plaza.

“Students, traders, patients and other commuters travel frequently between Mansehra and Abbottabad districts, and the toll tax places an unnecessary financial burden on them,” a protester said.

The demonstrators demanded that the federal government either abolish the toll plaza or relocate it elsewhere, arguing that residents of Mansehra should not be forced to pay tolls while travelling within their own district.

They warned that if their demand was not accepted, they would expand the protest movement.

Meanwhile, police seized a large cache of arms and ammunition during a search-and-strike operation in Oghi tehsil on Tuesday.

A team led by SHO Oghi Tasawar Shah recovered the weapons during raids in different mountainous areas of the tehsil.

ROAD WIDENING: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has launched the widening and blacktopping of the Balakot-Garhi Habibullah Road.

“The government has secured financial assistance from the World Bank for this road project, which will be completed at a cost of Rs1.5 billion and will improve connectivity between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” MPA Munir Hussain Lughmani told the groundbreaking ceremony of the project on Tuesday.

“Besides the World Bank’s financial assistance, the provincial government is also contributing to the execution of this project, which will benefit not only people travelling between KP and AJK but also residents of Balakot, Garhi Habibullah and the surrounding union councils,” Mr Lughmani said.

The MPA said the government was prioritising the development of the hitherto neglected areas.

Mr Lughmani said the government had earmarked multi-billion-rupee projects to improve road infrastructure and promote tourism in the Manoor, Kaghan and Ghanool valleys to boost the local hospitality industry and create economic opportunities for residents.

He thanked Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for taking a personal interest in Balakot’s development.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2026