MANSEHRA, July 3: A Tablighee Jamaat preacher on Tuesday drowned in the Kunhar River near Balakot area.

However, the body couldn’t be fished out of the river by night. Bilal Shoaib, of Faisalabad, who was part of a visiting Tablighee Jamaat group, drowned while swimming in the river, one of his colleagues told police. Another colleague said Shoaib went into deep waters and was swept away.

He said he advised the deceased to stay close to the bank but his advice was ignored. Local police registered the case and began investigation.

Meanwhile, visitors to Naran, especially Kaghan Valley, have complained of overcharging by local hoteliers.

These days, the people from the plains in the country are thronging the tourist resort to escape high temperatures and excessive loadshedding.

“Kaghan Valley is a paradise on earth but hoteliers have turned it into a hell for us by charging too much money for their services,” said Hamid Hussain, a Karachiite. He said hoteliers charged Rs10,000 for a normal room with two beds per night but local authorities were turned a blind eye to it. He urged the tourism department to fix hotel charges.

Sahibzada Azhar Mehmood, another tourist, said he had been visiting Naran every summer since long but this time, rooms of hotels were offered at unreasonable charges.

“If one cannot afford rent of rooms, how would he and his family enjoy the trip? The relevant authorities should take strict measures to contain overcharging by hoteliers, especially during peak season,” he said.—Correspondent