MANSEHRA: Police in Upper Kohistan district have destroyed cannabis cultivated in mountainous parts during a two-week-long operation carried out with the support of clerics and elders in over 50 villages.
“We have destroyed cannabis cultivated on over 5,000 kanals in the district’s difficult mountainous terrain,” District Police Officer Tahir Iqbal told reporters on Friday.
He said the operation was launched after the police received reports that cannabis, used in the production of charas and other narcotics, was being cultivated in remote areas of the district.
“We constituted several teams under the supervision of DSP Sahibzada Khan, which continued the operation despite heavy rains and flash floods.
The DPO said cannabis plants that had recently been cultivated and had not yet matured were also destroyed through chemical spraying carried out by officials of the agriculture department.
“We have zero tolerance for narcotics and will not allow anyone to cultivate cannabis or manufacture drugs that destroy the future of our youth,” Mr Iqbal said.
Mr Iqbal added that police had also intensified checking on the Karakoram Highway and other major roads to prevent drug traffickers from transporting narcotics into or through the district.
FESTIVALS CANCELLED: The district administration on Friday cancelled four learning and grooming festivals slated to be held next week in Kaghan Valley, citing the risk of flash floods and cloudbursts during the ongoing monsoon season.
“We have cancelled all four events, in which more than 12,000 male and female students from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were expected to participate, as the safety of students is our foremost priority,” Balakot assistant commissioner Hasrat Khan told reporters.
He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department had planned the festivals in the Mehandri, Jared, Kaghan and Naran area from July 25 to 29, but the events had to be cancelled on the recommendation of the district administration.
Mr Khan said the Provincial Disaster Management Authority had predicted more rains and the possibility of cloudbursts until Wednesday. He said the recent cloudburst in Saiful Muluk Lake served as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by extreme weather.
“Although the weather appeared clear at the time, torrents carrying rocks and debris suddenly rushed downstream, forcing tourists to flee to safer places. The incident is a lesson for all of us,” he said.
The assistant commissioner said the administration had barred tourists from travelling to the lake, adding that visitors ignored the repeated warnings. “Despite the ban, some tourists tried to proceed towards the lake, putting their lives at risk,” he said.
Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2026
