Mala dfr-150511162038-lva1-app6891

1. INTRODUCTION1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND
In 1991, the government of NWFP created Sarhad Tourism Corporation
(STC) as a public limited company to promote tourism in the province.
This was done in recognition of the enormous potential for economic
development through environmental tourism based on the diverse
landscape, rich culture and pristine ecological resources of the
province. Basically, whatever tourism development had taken place in
Pakistan, was mostly through ad-hoc planning of the Tourism
Corporations financed by the Government of Pakistan. No planned or
integrated efforts were made to systematically and gradually develop
the tourism industry in Pakistan. Neither the environment impact nor
need or demand assessments were carried out before embarking upon
development activities in this sector.
Unfortunately, this unplanned, disorganized and ad-hoc approach
resulted in wasting a lot of natural and financial resources. It has also
destroyed the ecology and environment of the potential areas. The
mushroom like development of infrastructure both by the private and
public sectors without keeping the future in view marred the beauty of
the areas with tourism potential. The resources were concentrated in
a few areas, resulting in over-crowding certain places and totally
ignoring other areas, which were left behind under- developed. The
standard of tourists facilities and man made attractions were far below
the national and international standards, which is limiting tourists
traffic.
Inadequate security measures in these areas further sailed the
environment, No concerted and integrated efforts seem to exist to
1

publicize, promote and expose Pakistan's tourism potential to the
outside world and that is why Pakistan is called "Asia's best kept
secret". Due to the total dependence and heavy burden on the
government's financial resources, the Tourism Corporations of Punjab
and Sind have become parasites and a liability for their governments.
Learning from the experiences of the other Tourism Corporations in
Pakistan and the other sister organizations of Siri Lanka and Maldives
etc. the Sarhad Tourism Corporation (STC) was established by the
government of N.W.F.P with a clear mandate to play its role as a
catalyst and help promote the tourism industry through the private
sector. It is the government of NWFP's strategy to help the STC to
stand on its own feet and become a self sustaining organization. STC
was supposed to receive a one time grant from the government to
begin its activities but would essentially be self-financing.
It was decided by the G.0. NWFP that STC should have a Regional
Master Plan to have a planned and systematic approach towards
developing the tourism industry of Malakand. In that, it was decided
that STC would hire a team of consultants to prepare a 5-10 years
Regional Master Plan for the development of Tourism in Malakand. The
Joint Venture of M/S Gulf Consulting Associates, 34-Abdara Road
University Town, Peshawar and M/S Universal Development
Associates, 3-Asif Plaza Defence Chowk, Lahore Cantt. were awarded
this consultancy assignment in April 1996, and this Report has been
prepared as a final product in this regard.
1.2 LOCATION
Malakand division marks the northern most boundary of Pakistan
2

(Fig.1). It is strategically located in close proximity to Afghanistan,
China and Central Asian States of Tajikistan. Hazara Region makes its
boundary on the eastern sides, whereas the districts of Mardan and
Charsadda are located in the south. Some area of Bajaur Agency and
the international boundary with Afghanistan makes its boundary on
the western side. Malakand division is situated between 34 
-17' to
36
-52' N and 71
-15' to 70
E on the world map.
3

1.3 TOPOGRAPHY
Malakand division is an all mountainous area, surrounded on the north
by Hindukush and Karakuram Ranges where high snow covered peaks
of world fame are located. The area
starts gaining the altitude from Malakand Agency which starts from
the foot hills of the Malakand Range. The Swat valley stretches from
here on and reaches at high altitudes at Kalam and further towards
north. Dir is relatively higher than Swat and subsequently Chitral is
the highest valley bounded by the highest altitudes in the whole
division. All three valleys are separated by mountain ranges running
almost parallel in north- south orientation.
The relative average altitudes of the district headquarters above sea
level are as follows:
i. Dir - 1382 Meters
ii. Swat - 1067 Meters
iii. Chitral - 1475 Meters
iv. Malakand - 689 Meters
1.4 CLIMATE
Except Malakand Agency which is located at comparatively lower
altitude, the climate of whole division is temperate during summer
and colder in winter as compared to the rest of the province.
Rainfall is spread over the months of January, February, March and
April during the winter season and over the month of July and August
during the summer. Most of the downpour occurs during January and
March as a result of easterly winds from the Mediterranean sea.

Rainfall various around 100 mm to 150 mm while the temperature
varies between 7
and 30
C. Most part of the division witnesses snow
fall every year, mild at low altitude and heavy at high altitudes. Most
peaks especially on the northern side remain snow clad all the year
round, where glaciers are commonly found.
1.5 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The history of Malakand Agency is intricately woven with history of
Swat, Dir and Chitral. Early in the sixteenth century the Yousafzai
Pathans effected their entrance into Swat by the Malakand and in the
1587 Zain Khan, a general of the emperor Akbar, built a fort here. In
1845 the Pass was taken by the Chitral Relief Force and has since
been occupied as a military post near which is also located the head
quarters of the Political Agency. On July 26, 1897, the post was
suddenly attacked by a large gathering of Swat under a fanatical
leader, the Mulla Mastan. Tribesmen from Utman Khel and Upper Swat
attacked which were later repulsed and the area was relieved on
August 2, 1897. It remained under British control till 1947 when it
became a part of Pakistan. However, its tribal status was recognized
and to date it is a tribal area under the provincial control as (FATA)-
Provincially Administered Tribal Area.
The district presently now and previously before, is partitioned
between two parts by Malakand hill. The northern part is called Swat
Ranizai and the southern part is called Sam Ranizai. Primarily the
population of the area was and still is dependent upon agriculture with
two distinct classes of agriculturists; the owners and tenants, with
periodic uprising from time to time against each other. Without a
mention of Malakand Operation, the history of Malakand is incomplete.

Back in 1895, the British Govt. adopted a forward policy to extend its
occupation to Malakand and beyond, and lured some local influential
to side with them, of course with immediate and long term benefits.
They marched onwards despite resistance from the locals, but were
fully engaged at Malakand Pass. A fierce battle between the British
force and the local Mujahideen took place. The British finally
succeeded in overcoming the resistance. The hill top and surrounding
area was occupied by the British forces. Sir Winston Churchill, who
later became the British Prime Minister was a lieutenant at that time,
travelled in a tonga from Nowshera to Malakand and took part in the
operation. One picket near Chakdara on the adjoining hill top, was
named after him as "Churchill Picket". A few decades back in early
sixties, Queen Elizabeth, on her way to Swat on the invitation of
President Ayub visited this spot and conveyed her message to
Churchill, who was alive then.
The first historical mention of Swat is made by Arians, who record that
in 326 B.C. Alexander the Great led his army through Kunar, Bajaur,
Swat and Buner; but his successor, Seleucus, twenty years later
handed over territories to Chandragupta. The inhabitants were in
those days of Indian origin. Buddhism being the prevailing religion,
they remained thus almost undisturbed under their own kings until the
fifteenth century. They were the ancestors of the non-Pathan tribes.
The invasions of the Yousafzai and other Pathan tribes, aided by the
Utman Khel, then began; and by the sixteenth century, the Yousufzai
were in possession of Buner and Lower Swat. The advent of these
Pathan invaders introduced Islam throughout Swat.
At this time the Emperor Babar, by a diplomatic marriage with the
daughter of Malik Shah Mansoor, the head of the Yousafzai clan, and

by force of arms, established his sovereignty throughout these areas.
However, Upper Swat was still held by the aboriginal Swatis under
Sultan Uais or Wais, who also tendered a voluntary submission,.
claiming protection from the invaders which Babar gave. In
Humayun's reign, however, the advance was continued, and the
Yousafzai overran Upper Swat. Humayun's yoke was rejected by them
and even Akbar in 1584 could exert no more than a nominal
submission. By 1658, however, in which year Aurangzeb ascended to
the throne, the tribes refused to pay revenue, declared their
independence, and maintained it till the time of Nadir Shah, whose
successors, Ahmad Shah Durrani and Timur Shah, kept their hold on
the area. The grasp was not lost by those who came after, and when
Azim Khan attacked Sikhs in 1823, the Yousafzai sent a large
contingent with their army. They were defeated and Ranjit Singh
entered Peshawar, but did not move toward north. Syed Ahmad Shah
Brailvi stood against the Sikhs but was martyred near Balakot in 1831.
On the establishment of British rule in the Peshawar valley in 1849, no
attempt was made to penetrate into these hills.
The primacy then passed to Abdul Ghafoor, the famous Akhun, who
established himself in 1835 at Saidu in Upper Swat, where he lived
until his death in 1877. He was the most powerful man of his time. His
shrine is located at Saidu which is now called Saidu Sharif. His son
Abdul Wadud and grandson Miangul Jehanzeb were later called
Bacha Saheb and Wali of Swat respectively. The state was merged
into Pakistan in 1968.
Dir takes its name from the village Dir, situated at the extreme north
which was the capital of the ruler, called Nawab, till 1960. Dir is
situated on the bank of Dir tributary of Panjkora river. Presently the
district has been bifurcated into Lower Dir and Upper Dir Districts with

headquarter of Lower Dir is located at Timargara which occupies a
central position in the district and Dir Town as the headquarter of
Upper Dir, administratively. The problems of sovereignty over Dir has
witnessed many a campaign between local Khan and Chieftains,
prominent amongst them being the Khan of Jundool, Umara Khan,
Mohammad Sharif Khan, Miangul of Swat (the son of Abdul Ghafoor
Akhun). Chakdara, its extreme south village has seen many events
from the days of Alexander the Great, Babar, the Mughal King and his
descendants and finally the British in 1895 and 1897. It is to recall
that the local Mujahideen voluntarily fought the British forces in 1895
when they tried to find their way to Chitral via Malakand- Chakdara.
The "Ghazis" were defeated and a fort at Chakdara and a picket by the
mane of Churchill Picket on the two hills were constructed.
Dir as mentioned earlier was ruled by the Nawab, and his successors
for over eighty years till 1960 when the control was taken over by the
Pakistan Government after a brief and bloodless plan. Dir has the
unique historical background of the visit by three prominent and
powerful personalities. First of them was Alexander the Great who
entered Dir from Bajaur side. At Talash in Dir he was stopped by the
forces of a local monarch who happened to be a woman. A brief
skirmish ensued and Alexandra sustained an injury on his leg by an
arrow. Later on, a compromise was struck which resulted in the
marriage of Alexander with the woman monarch. Secondly, Mahmood
Ghaznavi also conquered the area by defeating the east while Hindu
Shahi near Chakdara. The huge graveyard near Batkhela (Malakand
Agency) is the resting place of many a Ghaznavi martyrs. In and
around Chakdara are also found many coins of Mahmood of Ghaznavi,
bearing evident to the Ghaznavi rule in the area. Thirdly, the Mughal
King Babar also crossed over to Dir via Bajaur and then to Swat

through an intervening hill between Dir and Swat near village Ouch.
The exact site where he crossed over the hill is called as Babar's
Ghakhai (Ghakhai means a cut).
Lately, Umara Khan, a local Khan of Jandool (Dir) who rose high,
fought with the British at Chitral. Because of his limited resources he
could not stand the forces of the British and crossed over to
Afghanistan. For his strategic moves and tactics in the war against
British and local encounters he was sometimes called Napoleon of
France. He was suffering from extreme lack of resources. All he
depended upon and till very late thereafter, was the locally
manufactured arms from a native area in Barawal, near Dir.
The people of Chitral are predominantly emigrants from Afghanistan
which is their close neighbor. Part of the population are those who
came with Alexander the Great and settled here when he left the area.
These remnants of those days have maintained their culture and
identity till this day. The valleys where they live are known by the
name of Kafiristan, the name which is now the main attraction for the
tourists. Not only their beauty and attire but also their customs are
attractive. By passage of time their number has decreased
considerably as they are converting to Islam. There is a strong feeling
for trying to maintain their identity and to have the least interference
in their affairs. The name Kafiristan, as it was introduced in last forties
has attracted tourists not only from far and wide within the country
but also from all around the world.
Till late fifties the district, previously known as a princely state of
Chitral was ruled by "Mehtars". These Mehtars were emigrants from
Afghanistan. The word `Mehtar' means superior, and the way they

ruled and behaved was superior too. One of the main reasons of the
backwardness and poverty of the area, besides difficult accessibility
was the tight grip over the residents by these superior rulers.
1.6 AREA AND POPULATION
Malakand division is the largest in Pakistan in terms of area., The
population of the division was 2.467 million in 1981, which has been
estimated to be 3.725 million in 1991, at the growth rate of 3 % per
annum. The 1996 population on the same growth rate has been
estimated to be about 4.52 million. Table: 1 shows the population and
area by districts of the division.

TABLE: 1 Population and Area by Districts
S.NO
.
NAME OF
DISTT
AREA IN
SQ.KM
POPULATIO
N IN 1981
POPULATION
IN 1991
(ESTIMATED)
POPULATIO
N IN 1994
(ESTIMATE
D)
POPULATIO
N IN 1996
(ESTIMATED
)
1. DIR 5,282 7,67,409 12,10,000 1412000 -
2. SWAT
(with Shangla)
6,945 9,67,484 14,35,000 1641000 -
3. BUNER 1,843 2,65,517 4,05,000 467000 -
4. CHITRAL 14,850 2,08,560 2,91,000 325000 -
5. MALAKAND 952 2,57,797 3,84,000 415000 -
TOTAL 42,60,000 45,20,000

1.7. ADMINISTRATIVE SET UP
Malakand division has been divided into the following administrative
units, which are also shown in Fig-2:
1. Malakand Agency
2. District Buner
3. District Swat
4. District Shangla
5. District Lower Dir
6. District Upper Dir
7. District Chitral
Districts of Buner and Shangla had been historically a part of district
Swat and are relatively recently established administrative units.
However, the Malakand Division can be divided into distinct entities in
a different fashion based on its physical, geographical and
topographical features as follows:
1. Malakand Agency
2. Swat
3. Dir
4. Chitral

2. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES2. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
2.1 GOALS
The goals of the Regional Master Plan are:-
a. Promote and develop the tourism industry of Malakand Division
by involving both the private and public sectors.
b. Fully protect and preserve the culture, traditions, history,
heritage, environment and wild life of the target areas.
c. Develop the socio-economic conditions of the people and areas
having tourism potential.
d. Gradually and systematically identify and develop all the
existing potential areas for attracting tourists both from in and
outside the country.
e. Introduce, promote, develop and publicize the tourism potential
of Malakand Division in and outside the country and
f. Make the STC a self financing agency.
2.2 OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Regional Master Plan are to:-
i. Systematically and through short, medium and long term
strategy/plan/approach, gradually develop the potential areas of
Malakand Division for generating income

by attracting the foreign as well as the local tourists to the
potential areas.
ii. Set the future direction of the Sarhad Tourism
Corporation/Government of NWFP/Ministry of Tourism for the
promotion and development of tourism in Malakand Division.
iii. Involve private enterprises in setting up profitable and
innovative recreational tourist facilities/attractions in Malakand
Division either individually or jointly with the government of
N.W.F.P.
iv. Explore and identify various ways and means for generating
revenue for making the STC a self-financing organization.
v. Provide the basic infrastructure and recreational activities
required for the development of potential tourism areas to
facilitate tourist travel, lodging, food and recreation etc. in
collaboration with the private sector.
vi. Develop the human resources of various institutions, both
private and public, directly linked with the tourism industry, for
providing services to the tourists.
vii. Address the problems of unemployment, migration from rural to
urban areas, income generation for the poor masses, and raising
the standard of living of the potential areas.
viii Identify the weaknesses in STC and their resolution to
strengthen the STC to fully implement the regional master plan
and play its role as a catalyst.

ix. Identify various areas having tourism potential and work out the
appropriateness and feasibility of various activities for
developing attractions in these areas.
x. Promote and market the Malakand tourism industry in and
outside the country.
xi. Regulate, control and protect the environment of the crowded
areas already thronged by the tourists/visitors and prevent the
recurrence of this mishap in the potential tourist areas.
xii. Privatize the tourism industry and install a sense of ownership of
the tourism industry in the private investors.
xiii Establish a network amongst the private sector, Federal
Government, Provincial Government and other sister tourism
institutions both in and outside the country for the improvement
and promotion of the tourism in Malakand Region.

3. AN OVERVIEW OF EXISTING CONDITIONS3. AN OVERVIEW OF EXISTING CONDITIONS
3.1 EXISTING TOURISM ACTIVITY
3.1.1 Tourism Potential
Pakistan enjoys a unique position due to its strategic location on the
world map and its topographical and geographical features, especially
the areas in the north. The area is known by virtue of its lofty
mountains covered with snow, ever green pine, oaks and shrubs.
Karakuram (K-2) the second highest peak in the world has graced this
land by its location in the northern most part of the country.
Picturesque mountain slopes with snow melt rivers flowing in the
gorges present fascinating scenes which are attractive to locals and
foreigner alike. Nature has gifted this country with vast scope of
developing the beautiful hills and panoramic views.
Malakand division constitutes a significant part of the beautiful
country located north of Pakistan. It consists of the valleys of Swat, Dir
and Chitral, all unique in the potential scenic beauty as attraction for
tourists. To the outside world these valleys truly represent Pakistan for
tourism activity. Besides the natural beauty, these areas have rich
historical background. If backwardness is taken as blessing in disguise,
few of the locations here have seen little impact of modern life,
therefore they are culturally preserved in original form.
The flow of visitors started towards Malakand division in early fifties
when the first book on Kafiristan was published. The attractive
narration of the different customs of the local inhabitants, together
with beautiful description of the valleys opened a new era for this

otherwise forgotten land. Whosoever went to the valleys of Kafiristan
in Chitral was enchanted by the rhythmic music of turbulent streams,
chirping birds on the trees and beautiful Kalash women.
3.1.2 Tourism Seasons
Most areas in Malakand Division are located at high altitudes which
witness extremely cold winters. Besides, due to the land sliding and
excessive snow fall, the access to these areas especially Chitral
becomes extremely difficult and sometimes impossible. Therefore, the
most suitable period for tourists to visit these areas is during summer.
This is the time when other parts of the country witness scorching
heat and people flock to the hilly areas. Although the tourists visit
these areas around the year even during winter but they are very few
in number and their visits are limited to relatively low-lying areas. The
main- stream of the tourists starts coming sometimes during May and
continue till October. Therefore normally the tourists season is
considered to be from mid May to mid October, every year.
3.1.3 Composition of Tourists
In the early days of Pakistan a tourist was necessarily taken as a
foreigner, as both words (tourist and foreigner) were synonymous to
each other. As the time passed and socio-economic conditions in
Pakistan improved, a significant number of local population started
taking part in tourism activity. With exposure to the outside world,
increased number of educated families with increase in affordability
and the revolution brought by the mass media, people of Pakistan
realized need for recreation to enjoy vacationing. Gradually a class of
local and domestic tourists developed which has now increased to a
significant size.

The tourists now are divided into three categories:
(a) Local tourists.
(b) Domestic tourists.
(c) Foreign tourists.
Local tourists belong to the same area and make short time visits
mostly on daily basis. They are generally week-end holiday makers.
Domestic tourists are presently perhaps the largest proportion of
tourists. These are the people who visit the tourists places during the
annual vacation (summer and winter) periods and belong to Peshawar,
Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and the remaining parts of the country.
Foreign tourists mainly come from Europe, America, Australia and
Japan. The only country in Asia which has significant share in Pakistan
Tourism is Japan. Foreign tourists are a significant proportion of the
total tourists in Pakistan. According to the Additional Secretary,
Tourism, Mr. Hassan Raza Pasha, Since 1983, tourists arrival in
Pakistan ranged between 3,65,000 and 4,54,000. He noted that the
tourists arrival in Pakistan as much lower than in most other countries
in the region. According to a recent World Travel and Tourism Council
Survey in 1995, there are 212 million tourism related jobs in the world
which are contributing $ 3.4 trillion or 10.9 % of the global GDP.
According to a forecast, till the year 2010 East Asia and Pacific regions
will grow by 7% on the average in the tourists arrival which is almost
double the world average.
3.1.4 Tourism Related Services

There are two significant aspects regarding the services to be
provided to tourists at any place. One is comfort and the other is
adventure. Tourists prefer to make their period of stay as comfortable
as possible. However, there are certain instances when any difficulty
during the journey or stay needs little hardship which is taken as
adventure. But under normal circumstances, there are basic human
needs which certainly require to be provided. Following is an overview
of the basic services which are presently existing for the tourists.
a. Transportation
The country has at present a vast and extensive network of air, rail
and road linkages. However, appropriate modes of suitable transport
within the division exist in the private sector alone as no specific
arrangements for tourists is made by the public sector. Private busses,
wagons and small vehicles ply everywhere in the division, which are
mostly not very comfortable seating capacity wise nor to the level of
service. To approach the attractive but difficult terrains in the far
flung areas jeeps are available to hire, but the system lacks an
organized network. The rates of these jeeps are determined at will by
the operators and are quite exorbitant during the peak tourists
season. There is no uniformity in rates nor there is any organized
check system on the fares.
b. Hotels
Hotel business is mainly owned by the private sector, except at
locations where PTDC owns motels, one at Kalam and the other at

Chitral. There is only one four star hotel located at Mingora; all others
are either two star or one star hotels. It is extremely difficult to assess
the total number of hotels in the division or their total bed capacity,
the reason being that none of them has been registered with the
Ministry of Tourism which exercises control on them. However, the
major concentration of hotels are in Mingora, Madyan, Bahrain and
Kalam in Swat. A number of hotels are also located in Dir and Chitral,
in the private sector.
The performance of these hotels has been poor both in terms of
standards and level of service. Due to the lack of any control on this
business, they operate under the free market system. Room rents are
fixed by the management which changes according to the demand. It
was revealed during an interview with some of the tourists in Madyan
and Kalam that the rent for a single room of Rs. 300.00 per night
during the off-season rises upto Rs. 3,000.00 per night during the
peak season.
c. Restaurants
Similar to the case of hotels, the restaurants also have shown a poor
performance. Firstly, there is a shortage of standard restaurants
throughout the division. Secondly, the level of service is poor as most
of them do not follow the basic principles of health and hygiene.
Thirdly, due to the lack of any control measures, the meals service
charges are quite exorbitant, especially during the peak tourists
season.
d. Basic Urban Facilities

Basic urban facilities including shopping areas, post and telegraph
offices, telephone offices, banks etc. are sporadically located in the
division. While the shopping areas and postal services are adequately
available, telecommunication network has been recently improved but
not to the level of satisfaction. Those provided by the hotels are often
too expensive due to the additional service charges and sales tax.
Public telephone facility is limited to a few locations only and that also
is limited to the office working hours. Night shift at any telephone
exchange is not operative.
e. Safety
Safety to the visitors is the first and foremost requirement for any
tourism industry to develop and flourish. While the law and order
situation in the valleys has been always under control, there had been
some incidents of theft, looting, decoities, kidnapping and even killing
in the fast past. An extensive network of police surveillance has now
been established even to the remote areas, as a result such incidents
are very rarely happening now. The most recent incident reported in
the press was the looting of four wagons at Lowari Top during the
broad day light on June 22, 1996. In general, the police remains on
high alert during the tourist season and safety of the visitors is
adequately guaranteed.
f. Tourists Information Centers
There are not many tourists information centers in the division. Only
PTDC provides this facility at few locations only, which is extremely
deficient in terms of the level of service. Their number is very small

and they provide little information, and are not operating around the
clock whereas the tourists have no specific time to arrive at a certain
place. These centers are open only during the working hours on the
working days. Tourists have been observed to be stuck up during the
weekly holidays and late in the evenings, due to the lack of
information regarding the road conditions to proceed further in their
journey.
g. Tour Operators and Guides
An extensive network of tour operators working as travel agents exists
in the area to provide an adequate level of service to the tourists
during all seasons. Besides, tour guides area also available on specific
locations to be hired for specific journeys. However, due to the lack of
an organized institutional arrangement for control of their activities,
their performance has not been excellent.
3.1.5 An Overview of Tourism in Pakistan
In spite of the presence of all that, a tourist looks forward to enjoying
lofty mountains, verdant valleys, unrivalled sprawling sky line,
archaeological sites, inviting mountain slopes, rich cultural diversity,
exquisite curiosities and above all, a highly hospitable people.
Pakistan has not made significant progress in tourism industry. This is
a discouraging situation when compared with countries with much less
to offer to tourists while reaping a rich harvest of travellers and
tourists by way of collecting millions in foreign exchange.
Pakistan still remains absent from the world tourist map because

tourism has been treated by the successive governments casually and
not as an industry with great potential as a foreign exchange earner.
Tourism is already the world's fastest growing industry after oil. Its
annual turn - over is about $ 3.0 trillion. It is expected to surpass
every other industry by the end of the first quarter of the 21st
century, if a systematic progressive policy is adopted to development
in the coming few years from now.
Over two and half decades back Pakistan seemed destined to become
the hottest tourists spot in South and South East Asia. That was in the
early 1970's. A french firm had been commissioned to carry out a
study to suggest short and long-term plans for the promotion of
Tourism. The firm, Sena Metra, in its voluminous report prepared a 20
year perspective plan which included development of new tourists
sites, upgrading of existing infrastructure facilities, promotion and
publicity on incremental basis to market the tourist products thus
developed. This plan was never taken seriously and since then has
been shelved.
The sector in spite of having received the status of an industry has
remained neglected due mainly to the bureaucratic bottlenecks and
various related reasons.
3.1.6 Recent Efforts
In response to growing demands and awareness of the potential in
this sector major steps are being under taken to develop tourism in
Pakistan. Well thought over arrangement are being made in this
regard. Following recent activities undertaken by various
organizations are indicative of a national policy change and attitude.

i. The year 1996 marks the advent of professionally organized
tourist inflow from Italy to Pakistan. This has come in wake of a
recent agreement between one of the largest tour operators of
Italy, Vegetal Buonconsiglio and Pakistan Tours Ltd, (PTL) of
PTDC which is government's organization for promotion of
tourism in Pakistan. Two large groups of tourist have already
visited Pakistan and more are expected. Tourists inflow from
Italy which till now averaged around 3000 per year are expected
to double by next year. The country is likely to earn over US $ 5
million from the new Italian market of tourism. Similar
agreements are planned to be signed with 5 more companies of
Europe.
ii. A 2-day unique exhibition, the EXPO's TRAVEL - 96 was held in
Karachi, providing an opportunity to people to plan their
holidays in accordance with their disposable expenditure.
iii. The recently introduced STC Copter Safari provides an excellent
opportunity to visit Naran, Saiful Muluk, Kalam, Mahudand, and
the valley of Kalash. The one day trip from Peshawar includes
round trip, sight seeing, lunch and refreshments.
iv. Jashn-e-Swat is an annual event, which has been recently
organized at official level and is held with fervor.
v. TDCP has very recently established Institute of Tourism and
Hotel Management (ITHM) in Lahore to bring trained work force
into tourism industry.

vi. A 2-day workshop was held in Lahore on "Tourism in Pakistan -
Opportunities and Challenges" during May 1996.
vii. According to the Federal Additional Secretary for Tourism, Mr.
Hassan Raza Pasha, the plans to establish a National Tourism
Council are already being made, which will be hopefully
established very soon.
viii. Pakistan Tourism Human Resource Development Committee is
carrying out a programme for introducing new standards in
eight disciplines of hospitality sector to cater to the needs of
foreign tourists in Pakistan. The project is financed by the
European Commission for an integrated human resource
development programme for seven SAARC countries at a cost of
10 million US dollars and coordinated by the South Asian
Tourism Secretariat (SATS) will train 48,000 workers of
hospitality sector by the year 2000. Consequently, it was
decided to hold 28 workshops to train 600 persons in Pakistan
alone.
3.2 INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES
The availability of various infrastructure facilities at selected locations
in Malakand Division are shown in Fig.3-A, and have been described
here. All the major settlements of the Malakand Agency are located
along the major road connecting the Malakand Division with Peshawar.
The small villages located within the valleys are also connected to
this regional road network through metalled roads or Jeepable tracks.
The Malakand Agency provides links to rest of the Division from
Dargai, being the last railway station from Nowshera and Mardan.
However, no air-link is provided to it from any other place. All major

settlements in Malakand Agency have electricity and telephone
facilities. Supply of water is also provided adequately to these
settlements. However, the sewerage facility is completely lacking in
the area and so are the appropriate measures for solid waste
collection and disposal. Sui gas supply has reached Dargai, and it is
planned to be extended to the Agency and beyond.
Swat is well connected to other parts of the Province through a good
quality road which runs north- south, linking all the major settlements
in the area. Within Swat this road starts from Malakand and leads all
the way upto Kalam in the north, from where two roads; one to
Mahudand and another to Athror provide reasonable links in the area.
The road providing accessibility to the Buner district and the Shangla
district, however are not of excellent quality as they need continuous
maintenance and improvement works. In addition to the main regional
road network, smaller access roads linking the smaller valleys are also
not of good quality. Rail link is provided upto Dargai only which is
located across Malakand Pass. However, regular commercial flights
are operated providing air link of Swat with the rest of the country.
The Saidu Sharif Airport is
Fig.3-A

located near Mingora across the River Swat. The Municipal water
supply system exists in Mingora and a limited number of villages only.
Most of other settlements either use spring water or river water for
drinking purpose. Water is normally available except at a few places
located at high altitudes where spring water and flowing streams are
away from the vicinity. Sewerage system is also limited to Mingora
city only. However, open drains exist in other human settlements.
Being a hilly terrain rain water drainage is not a problem. Haphazard
constructions however have posed problem of obstructing the flood
water run off during the past, with partial damages to the built up
properties. Municipal solid waste collection and disposal exists in
Mingora city only and that also is not without deficiencies in operation
and coverage. All other settlements have virtually no system as such,
creating serious environmental pollution problems, which need to be
taken care of. Mingora is connected with rest of the world through the
Nationwide Direct Dialling Telephone network. Telephone facility is
provided to almost all the settlements located along the main road.
Electricity in also provided to most of the areas in Swat. However, gas
facility has not yet reached in this part of the country though a
programme is on the anvil.
The situation in Dir is different than any other area of the division. Till
1960, there was no concept of any facility whatsoever as the Nawab
being the despotic ruler of the state, did not allow even a primary
school though he had a hospital for his dogs and falcons. He had
"Hakims" for his private treatment also. After attaining a district
status, a network of roads has now been constructed. The main
Chakdara- Dir road is black topped and so are quite a few more. Water
supply schemes have been established in major villages of the district.
Sewerage arrangements are being introduced now while there is no

concept of solid waste disposal, anywhere in the district.
Accessibility to certain places is perhaps the most basic requirement
and Chitral has been quite unfortunate in this regard as the only road
link to the rest of the country passes through Lowari top which
remains closed for almost 6 months of winter during the year. This
Top, located at more then 13,000 feet above sea level comes under
heavy snow fall during the winter and after the snow melts, the land
sliding activity takes place, bringing considerable damage to the road.
A proposal to build a tunnel under the pass has been a sweet dream
of the people of Chitral which has also been a broken promise of the
successive governments since past many decades. It is also a much
used and still effective political slogan. Even now, the last Prime
Minister of Pakistan, Mrs. Benazeer Bhutto has announced an amount
of Rs 200.0 millions in the 8th Five Year Plan for this purpose.
However, there are little hopes for this dream to come true. As an
alternate the people of Chitral are forced to use the road through
Arandu into Kunar Province of Afghanistan and then again into either
Mohmand Agency or Khyber Agency of the tribal areas. This route has
proved extremely unsafe and risky and is certainly not suitable to the
foreign and domestic tourists. Although Chitral has an airlink with
Peshawar and a daily flight operates, but it is always subject to the
weather conditions and rarely operates regularly. However, when the
Lowari Top opens during the summer both foreign as well as domestic
tourists flock to the area, which is otherwise well connected to its
various parts. No adequate access roads are otherwise provided to
the numerous small valleys of the area. Water is abundantly available
in Chitral valley. The major towns have tapped water supply, whereas
other settlements use either spring water or the river water. Planned
and well designed sewerage system does not exist anywhere in the

district. Electricity is available to only the major towns and that also
from the local generators of limited capacity. However, there are plans
to electrify the settlements in the near future. The district has by now
been connected with the national grid but extension of power lines are
yet to be done, depending on availability of financial resources.
3.3 EXISTING CIVIC AMENITIES
Fig. 3-B and Fig. 3-C give a brief description of the availability of civic
amenities and tourist facilities at selected locations in the Malakand
Division.
The settlements along the main road in Malakand Agency are
adequately served by the civic amenities including banks, post offices,
police stations, and shopping areas. The
Fig.3-B

Agency headquarters hospital located at Batkhela near the Malakand
Top is well equipped to provide basic as well as specialized health
facilities both to the locals and the transit visitors. Two other hospitals
at Dargai and Thana are also serving the respective area. Hotels are
almost non-existent in the area as the visitors including the tourists
are mostly transit passengers. A number of government rest houses
are located along the main road but these do not provide
accommodation to the visitors unless by special arrangements. A
PTDC road side facility near Batkhela has been provided recently.
There are large number of local restaurants located in the towns along
the main road but few are upto the standard. No tourist information
centre is located in the Agency area, however, information is provided
in an informal manner by the locals, if required. A detailed survey was
carried out by the Consultants team in order to ascertain the
availability and condition of the existing infrastructure facilities and
civic amenities in each of the potential sites, to become a basis for the
future plans and proposals. The copy of the proforma is attached at
the end of this Report as Annexure- I.
Being the capital of Malakand Division, most of the civic amenities are
concentrated at Mingora, Saidu Sharif. The branch facilities are
provided to most of the human settlements in the area. They include
banks, post offices, police stations, hospitals, dispensaries and
shopping Centers. Mingora is also the centre of the tourist activities
as most of the tourists leading towards north make a stop over at
Mingora. There are a number of hotels with varying bed capacity and
quality of service. However, there is only one five star hotel which is
located at Mingora. Hotels are scattered all over the Upper Swat at
various locations with varying quality and bed capacities. Restaurants
are also located in almost all the settlements along the road, but good

quality restaurants are few. Rest Houses belonging to various
government departments/agencies are also located at a few locations
in Swat, but are not available for the tourists. Police posts have been
established at important villages with sub-posts around for the
purpose of maintaining law and order. Postal services are also
available, whereas hospitals/Rural Health Centers have also been
established.
District Headquarter Hospital at Timargara is mostly fulfilling the
needs of the patients. NWD facilities have been extended to all the
important settlements. Shopping facilities exist at a number of places,
the main business Centers are Batkhela in Malakand Agency, while the
second one is at Timargara, the district headquarter of Lower Dir.
Good quality restaurants are not available anywhere. From tourism
point of view there is no facility whatsoever throughout along the
main Chakdara to Dir road nor anywhere in the beautiful lateral
valleys. At Panakot near Dir a PTDC motel is nearing completion.
The major urban settlements of Chitral are linked by the telephone
network, which however, needs to be further extended. Other urban
facilities including health centers, post & telegraph offices, police and
scout offices, banks and shopping areas are all located in the major
settlements of the area. There are few quality hotels in the district,
which are mainly concentrated in Chitral city. Most other towns do not
have decent arrangements for overnight stays. Local restaurants
catering for the needs of the locals and visitors alike are available at
most of the settlements, but their quality and level of services is
generally poor. However, some good quality restaurants are located
in Chitral town only. Other amenities like tourist information centers,
tour agents/operators and guides are also available at limited

4. DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS4. DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS
Preparation of Master Plan for the development and promotion of
tourism at Regional level is perhaps the first exercise of its kind ever
undertaken in Pakistan. Therefore no baseline data was available for
various aspects involved in tourism.
A large scale country vide and multiple questionnaire survey for this
purpose was neither possible to be carried out within the time allowed
nor was it within the scope of this Master Plan. However, necessary
opinion surveys have been conducted in order to provide adequate
background information and gain better insights into the problems
faced by the tourists and other related aspects. These surveys are
simply meant to reflect various opinions and have been carried out
with small sample size which can not be statistically analyzed on any
level of confidence. The results however reflect the existing conditions
in an appropriate manner to serve the purpose of this Master Plan.
Adequate data pertaining to various aspects has been collected both
from primary as well secondary sources, in order to gain in depth
insights to arrive at useful conclusions. Primary source data collection
involved number of site visits and questionnaire surveys. The details
of data collection and its analysis are as follows.
4.1 SURVEY FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL
TOURISM SITES
The whole Division was visited and studied by the team of consultants
in order to identify the potential sites to be selected for tourism
attractions. They included sites of historical and cultural significance,

scenic and natural beauty and other places of interest. As a result, a
long list of potential sites was prepared and is included in chapter 6 of
this Master Plan.
4.2 SURVEY OF EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES
The data regarding the existing infrastructure facilities including
roads, water supply, sewerage, solid waste disposal, electricity and
telephone were collected from various government departments and
agencies. The data included the availability of service, level of service,
and condition of service in order to estimate deficiency in each facility
in terms of its provision at various specific locations with regard to the
potential tourism sites selected for the Master Plan. The departments
visited for this purpose included the C&W department, Public Health
Engineering Department and Local Municipal offices. Information was
also collected regarding the projects presently under execution and
those already approved for execution . The results of this survey have
already been given in chapter 3 of this master plan.
4.3 SURVEY OF EXISTING CIVIC AMENITIES
The data regarding the existing civic amenities including Police, Post,
Health, Banks etc. was collected from the Divisional Police
Headquarters, General Post Office, Peshawar, Directorate of Health
and Zonal Head Offices of various commercial banks respectively. The
data was than separated which was related to the specific selected
potential tourism sites. The data included the availability of service,
level of service and service area covered, in order to identify the
deficiencies. The analysis of this survey is also already given in

chapter 3 of this Master Plan.
4.4 SURVEYS OF THE FOREIGN TOURISTS
Foreign tourists were divided into two categories.
i) Foreign tourists
ii) Foreigners working in N.W.F.P
(A) Foreign Tourists
A total of 12 foreign tourists were randomly approached and
interviewed for this purpose. The results of the interviews are as
follows.
Out of the total 8 were male and 4 were female. Except one
Australian all other belonged to Europe with as much as 8 from U.K
alone. They belonged to a variety of professions including engineers,
students, farmer, factory workers and even a priest. The countries last
visited before Pakistan were India, Iran , China, Egypt and Malaysia,
out of which India, China and Iran are neighbors of Pakistan.
The foreign tourists expressed a multitude of purposes behind their
visit to Pakistan. They mostly came for tracking , mountain climbing,
sight seeing and to visit the historic and cultural places. A few of then
(2 out of 12) came for sex and drugs. This clearly reflects that the
tourists interested in sex and drugs are actually very small in number,
leading to the fact that good tourism is quite possible without sex and
drugs.

Peshawar, Swat, Chitral and Northern Areas were the places of
attraction for these tourists. Other places in Pakistan included
Mohenjodaro, Quetta and Bahawalpur.
Books and friends were among the most common means to come to
know about tourist places in Pakistan.
Half of the tourists entered into Pakistan by air while the others came
by road. After entering into Pakistan bus and coach were the most
common modes of transport used by the foreign tourists.
It is interesting to note that most of the foreign tourists were travelling
single and not in groups. The expenditure mostly ranged from Rs.
20,000/- to Rs. 40,000/- per person.
Foreign tourists have expressed the following problems faced by them
during their stay in Pakistan.
Problems.
i. Lack of information and sometimes wrong information.
ii. Harassment by local males to female tourists .
iii. Cheating in terms of many matters.
iv. Child beggars.
v. Lack of permission to visit Khyber Pass and Tribal Areas.
vi. Non-availability of transport at night.
vii. Difference in price charged to a foreigner or a local.
viii. Lack of credit card /currency exchange facility.
ix. Too many police check posts and movement restrictions.
x. Short duration of visas for Pakistan.

xi. Poor quality food and other goods.
xii. Lack of good quality , average period hotels.
Following are some of the suggestions came from the foreign tourists.
Suggestions.
i. Provide better and efficient garbage collection and
disposal system for generally clean environment.
ii. Police checking should be made at few places only to
make movement easier.
iii. Accessibility to more areas should be made easily
possible.
iv. Regulate the pricing system for hotels, restaurant and
transport.
v. Appropriate tourism literature should be made available
for better information.
It was revealed by the survey that normally the duration of the tourist
stay ranged from one week to one month. A copy of the survey
proforma is attached at the end of this report as Annex-II.
(B). Survey of Foreigners Working in NWFP.
A large number of foreigners working mostly with the international aid
agencies are living in NWFP, mostly in Peshawar. A total of 10 such
foreigners were interviewed in connection of tourism in NWFP. A copy
of the proforma is attached with this report as Annex-III. The analysis
of these interviews is as follows.
Out of the 10, only one was a female and all others were male. Except

one Afghan and one American all others were from different countries
of Europe. They had been in Pakistan for a period ranging from 1 year
to 4 years. Most of them were doing administrative jobs of managerial
level.
It is revealed from the survey that these foreigners quite frequently
visit the tourism places and often the same place more than once. The
most frequently visited places include Murree in Punjab, Swat, Chitral,
Kaghan and Guliyat Area in NWFP. Books, literature and friends have
again emerged as the most common means of information about
these places.
Following are some of the problems faced by these tourists.
Problems.
i) Lack of adequate and authentic information about specific
sites, even from the Tourist Information Centers of PTDC.
ii) Frequently cancellation of flights, especially to Gilgit and
Chitral.
iii) Lack of appropriate and adequate facilities.
Some of the suggestion made by these tourists to improve tourism
activity are as follows.
Suggestions.
i) Provide adequate information about the tourism locations.
ii) Improve the advertising and promotion of tourism.
iii) Improve physical conditions on tourist locations.
iv) Introduce more tourist locations and attractions.

v) Improve the general hotel conditions.
vi) Improve the means of communication.
vii) Improve hotel, restaurant and car rental services.
4.5 SURVEYS WITH THE LOCAL/DOMESTIC TOURISTS
A total of 20 questionnaires were completed at various locations in
the Region. A copy of the proforma is attached with this report as
Annex- IV. The analysis of the survey results is as follows:
Level of education is essentially a strong determinant of a persons's
awareness and attitude towards recreation. Therefore persons with
varied type of education level were interviewed. Out of the total 15 %
had no formal education, whereas 25 % of the total were metric and
as much as 30 % had intermediate level of education. Another 30 %
were graduates. Responding to the question, everybody agreed that
recreation was essential for life and a necessity for good health. A
significant majority of the respondents revealed that they go
frequently for recreation and as much as 95 % of the total
respondents confirmed it. It was revealed that most of the people (65
%) go for recreation on monthly basis. Another 10 % show an annual
opportunity for this purpose. Social, Cultural and tribal values are very
strong in NWFP. Most areas still reflect traditional attitudes in activities
of daily life including recreation of female family members. However,
these values are changing fast, but to some extent they are still intact
as shown by the survey results. The survey has shown that only 85 %
of the total respondents take their family out for recreation and the
remaining 15 % do not follow this practice. There are three common
reasons discovered for not taking the family out for recreation, which
are as follows:

i. Personal disliking
ii. Lack of security in public places
iii. Religious reasons
People go to various places for recreation. As much as 42 % of the
total go to the Malakand Region which includes the valleys of Swat,
Dir and Chitral. Swat being located closest is perhaps the most
popular destination. Places located in Punjab are the second most
popular destinations and they include Murree, Islamabad and Lahore,
as about 30 % of the total respondents go there during vacations.
Hazara Region is another popular destination as about 15 % go to
Abbottabad and Kaghan for this purpose. About 8 % remains in
Peshawar and visit the local recreation places including Hayatabad.
As much as 95 % of the total respondents expressed that such activity
will be good for the local economy, as it will generate income for the
local population.
4.6 SURVEY FOR THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
A total of 20 locals belonging the nearby areas where most of the
tourism activities take place were interviewed. A copy of the proforma
for this purpose is attached with this report as Annex- V. The results of
this survey are discussed in details in chapter 13 of this report being
the appropriate and relevant place.

5. OVERALL STRATEGY FOR THE MASTER PLAN5. OVERALL STRATEGY FOR THE MASTER PLAN
5.1 IMMEDIATE ACTION PROGRAMME. (IAP)
The overall strategy of the Master Plan is based on two pronged
approach; an immediate action programme for the initial period of 2
years, and a long term programme spanning over a period of 10
years. The long term programme period will include the immediate
action programme, and will be integrated accordingly.
The Immediate Action Programme (IAP) will essentially prepare and
provide a base, an environment and a set up for the implementation
of the long term programme . In order to achieve this objective and to
ensure smooth implementation of the Master Plan, the actions
proposed at this stage will not be based on large scale financing. This
stage will involve the preparation of various policies and regulatory
measures and their implementation in order to improve the existing
conditions in tourism sector without proposing the large scale new
facilities and infrastructure The major activities proposed to be
carried out during this period are as follows:
i. design, adopt and enforce the regulatory measures for the
provision of various tourism facilities.
ii. carry out marketing and promotion drives at intensive and
extensive levels.
iii. improve/upgrade the existing deficient infrastructure facilities
and the civic amenities.

iv. commence the institutional strengthening of STC to enable it to
fully discharge its future role as a leading agency in tourism
sector.
5.2 LONG TERM PROGRAMME.
Once the policies have been prepared and a general environment for
the tourism promotion an development has been established, the long
term programme will be implemented which will certainly involve
large scale funding and financing. This stage will involve the project
preparation, planning and implementation in a phased out manner
based on the established priorities. All the development projects are
proposed to be executed in this stage in an integrated fashion as will
be reflected later in the chapter on the project implementation. The
major activities proposed to be carried out during this stage are
therefor as follows:
i. extension of the infrastructure facilities and provision of civic
amenities to new sites in an integrated manner.
ii. extension of the level and coverage of the marketing and
promotion campaign.
iii. emphasis on revenue generation activities for sustainable
development in the tourism sector.

6. POTENTIAL TOURISM SITES AND LOCATION6. POTENTIAL TOURISM SITES AND LOCATIONSS
A long list of potential sites and location was prepared and included in
the Report on Existing Conditions. However, the list is neither
exhaustive nor it is within the scope of the consultants work to
prepare a 100% complete list of potential sites and location. In
absolute terms every location within the study area is a candidate for
development into some kind of tourism facility, be a picnic spot or a
roadside facility. Nonetheless, the consultants have made every effort
to identify all the potential sites and locations for the purpose of this
Master Plan.
6.1 MALAKAND AGENCY
Malakand Agency has a few places of interest to the visitors (Fig.4-A).
The details of which are as follows:
6.1.1 Jabban
This site is close to Dargai, located at the exit the Upper Swat Canal of
tunnel from the Malakand hill. Hardly four km away from Dargai, this
beautiful spot covered with thick growth of trees presents a
fascinating view. As the first of the two power houses is located here,
the churning of water fall, the humming of the transformers and
chirping of birds, all combined, pervade the atmosphere. Visitors,
mostly college students, boys and girls from all parts of the country
make it an annual feature of their excursion trips to visit this site and
spend a few hours. Some periodically come here for picnic which they
find as ideal place to enjoy with friends and realties.

6.1.2 Malakand Pass
Malakand Pass throughout its length from the bottom near Dargai to
the top offers excellent views of scenic beauty and an interesting
drive. The view of valley down from the top is immensely impressive
and attractive. The lush green fields in the far distant and the shining
waters of Upper Swat Canal catch the attention of every passer by.
One or two view points at appropriate locations need to be established
with necessary protective measures.
As soon as one completes the ascent and reaches the top, one feels
like taking a little rest and to enjoy the view. Presently, the
restaurants located at the top do not offer adequate and decent
facilities, Therefore, a good quality restaurant is certainly required.
6.1.3 Palai
This is a plain area at the foot of Chirat hill. A group of other villages
also co-exist here. These villages belong to the Khans of Thana.
Climatically the area is not attractive but its chief specialty lies in two
ways. Firstly the area abounds in old Buddhist remains. Valuable
statues have been recovered from the area illegally as well as
unauthorisedly. The second specialty of the area is the high quality
oranges produced here which have no comparison elsewhere in the
whole of the country. The area is accessible from two routes. One is
from Thana via Cherat mountain. The hill has a steep rough climb. The
black topping of the road is in progress under the ADP and it is hoped
that it will make the access easy for the area. The second and longer
route is from Shergarh of Mardan district. Palai area is also known for
production of tomatoes in autumn and early winter.

6.1.4 Moora Hill
This high mountain resort is partly accessible by road as a television
booster has been established here but the scenic spots are a little
higher and not presently connected by road. The present electric line
can be extended to here and access road will also be necessary.
Spring water is already available. The average height of the area is
5500 feet which affords enough cool climate for the tourists. The
approach is from Thana to the T.V. booster and a little higher in the
hill.
6.1.5 Seelai Patai
This site is a hill resort apposite Kalangai near the junction of Swat
and Panjkora rivers, at a height of 4500 feet above sea level. This is a
pleasant tourist potential site, which lacks good approach at present.
Initially some police protection may be needed as the population is not
tourism oriented.
6.1.6 Left bank of River swat
The road from Batkhela to Swat passes through green fields with
shady trees on both sides of the road. This is particularly applicable in
the stretch from Batkhela to Thana. The river on the left somewhere
touching the road boundary is an added attraction. Cool aromatic
breeze even in the hot summer months refreshes the tourists while
driving.
A tourist park on the left bank of river Swat starting from Chakdara

Bridge upstream in a length of 2 to 3 Km with a reasonable width of
around 100 feet, constructed will provide a picnic spot for the visitors.
The site is ideal for such a facility. Opposite on the right bank are a
few huts each owned by the district administration, the Dir scouts and
others. These are however, not available for the tourists. A police
"Chauki" is already established at the bridge site and it can extend
safety cover for all tourists.
6.2 BUNER DISTRICT
The little explored and relatively unexposed district of Buner has
many potential sites for tourism as shown in Fig.4-B and discussed
below:
6.2.1. The Shrine of Pir Baba
This shrine located at Pacha Killi is known far and wide in the NWFP
and is visited by devotees from every district of NWFP, some from
Azad Kashmir and others from Punjab. The saint Said Ali was a pious
man devoted to worship and preaching of Islam. He therefore
attracted people and many of them reformed themselves. Incidentally
he was also a close relative of Moghal King Akbar.
A beautiful spot with a great deal of tourism potential from the natural
and scenic beauty point of view exists at a distance of about 2
kilometers north- east of this Ziarat which is most suitable to be

developed as a picnic spot.
6.2.2 Mahaban Valley
This valley is known for its natural beauty in between green hills and
sweet spring waters. Of late the Frontier assembly unanimously
resolved to declare it a natural area for preservation. As no facilities
exist here the area is infrequently visited even by the nearby district
inhabitants of Swabi and Mardan.
6.2.3 Elum/Dosarri
These are two adjoining hill tops of about 7000 ft height each and are
visible from a distance from what ever direction you look them within
Buner. Their view is more conspicuous during winter when the tops
are covered with snow. An interesting legend prevails in Buner in old
days, that the villagers when asked to decide which hill top
Fig.4-B

was higher than the other they were always indecisive. Some who
favored one hill top would fight with others who favored the other hill
top. Because of the high altitude these hill tops are most attractive in
summer for their fresh cool air and green surroundings of pine trees
and mostly medicinal shrubs and sweet smelling wild flowers. The
greenery is a good abode for wiled life, goats, monkeys, and even
leopards. No facility of tourism activity exists though potentially there
is no better place than this throughout Buner and in the near part of
Swat.
6.2.4 Karakar Top
The beautiful mountain top falling on way from Barikot to Daggar has
good potential to be developed as a tourist attraction with related
ancillary facilities.
6.3 SWAT
Swat is graciously blessed by God in terms of natural and scenic
beauty. The journey on the road from Malakand to Swat for most part
is thrilling and exciting. The fruit gardens on one side and the River
Swat on the other side with snow clad peaks in farther hills and lush
green paddy fields by the river side presents an enchanting and
enamoring scenery. Almost all areas are beautiful and the preference
of one spot over the other is extremely difficult to decide. However,
for the purpose of this project and based on the criteria of tourism the
following sites/settlements have been designated as candidate sites
where some sort of tourism activity can either be established or
enhanced (Fig.4-C).

6.3.1 Udegram Ruins
Udegram was an extremely large town where we can see the ruined
massive buildings dating back to the Kushan period. Here an imposing
staircase has been uncovered consisting of a series of steps about 25
feet long which belong to the Sassanian period. Arrows found in great
quantity testify to the fierce battles which in various
Fig.4-C

periods were fought for its capture. Coins, pottery, beads and a few
ornaments are precious items of reference in the chronological order
with reference to the various layers.
6.3.2 Shankar Dara
There is a stupa most probably of the days of Ashoka and building
remains/ruins on a small hill, which also date back to the Buddhist
days which was the prime period of this religion for its followers in this
part of the country. A unique feature of the buildings constructed
during the Budhist civilization is that these buildings used to be
located on the adjacent hills adjoining the cultivable lands or in some
cases adjoining flowing water. This indicates that they would try to be
placed on safe commanding sites away from the vagary of floods
and/or possible invaders.
6.3.3 Ghalegai Cave
This is a prehistoric cave near a stupa close to the village Ghalegai.
Details of this cave are shrouded and have to be explored. This is an
outstanding challenge for the present day archaeologists.
6.3.4 Budha On Rock
Near village Ghalegai on road from Chakdara to Saidu Sharif is a large
statue of Mahatma Budha carved on a big rock and is an item of
attraction for the visitors. There is no sign post and most of the
tourists cross over the bend of the road unaware of the location. A few
steps were constructed during the past for observing the statue
closely. With manhandling during the past, the statue has been

disfigured. Even now it is not too late to mend. A railing with a small
gate and a sign post is needed. The sign post or board will give
indication for the location while the railing and the gate will give an
impression that the statue is meant to be preserved.
6.3.5 Gogdara
Beyond Ghalegai , this is the most attractive site just off the main
road. Carvings of historic significance on rock here are of main
interest.
6.3.6 Landaki Fishing Point
This is a beautiful spot as the Swat River hugs the road here in a bend.
Reclaimed river bed with grassy cover and few shady trees has made
this site attractive. Small improvised refreshment stalls have been
created for temporary stop over of passengers and tourists. Some
amateur anglers try their luck for fishing here, others enjoy the
roasted fish with a cup of tea or a cold drink.
6.3.7 Mingora
Mingora is the district as well as the division headquarters and main
commercial area. Its shopkeepers are always prepared to engage in
serious bargaining and they offer wide range of items such as
jewellery, gems, embroidery, local handicrafts and Swati shawls.
Foreign made items are abundantly available as a number of people
of Swat are employed overseas and in merchant navy who bring these
items with them and dispose them off in the local market. It is the
main concentration of a large number of tourist facilities including
hotels and restaurants. A bridge across the river links Mingora with the

Airport and also with the newly developed Kanju Township.
6.3.8 Saidu Sharif
Saidu Sharif is the administrative capital of Malakand Division. Here is
located the Swat Museum, the remains of Butkada stupa, the Wali of
Swat palace, the tomb of Akhun of Swat called Saidu Baba and of
course, the only five star hotel of the Region.
6.3.9 Gulkada
At Gulkada, 2 kilometers north of Saidu Sharif, probably the most
important monastery of the country has been located. It surrounds a
big Stupa from where clandestine diggers have in the past many years
brought to light some of the most beautiful fragments of Gandhara
art. This is now within the precincts of Mingora extension of the town
where office complex of the district administration is situated. This
name of Gulkada is not more than two decades old. Its older name
was Butkadah meaning a place where statues are located.
The site is an old place of a village/ town of the Buddhist period and
excavations done here during the past by the archaeology department
exposed the ruins which are now visible to the visitor.
6.3.10 Swat Museum
Nearby is located a Museum called Swat Museum which houses many
valuable collections of the excavations in and around Mingora and the
adjoining archaeological sites. These collections are indications of the
life style of the people and their beliefs.

When we talk of collections preserved in the Museums here, at
Chakdara and even at Peshawar. the provincial metropolis, we are
reminded of the sad picture of reckless trade of these valuables going
on clandestinely on large scale. Measures are needed to discourage
and stop this illegal trade which deprives this region of its valuable
heritage which is in another way a brute attempt to misrepresent the
course of past history.
6.3.11 Marghozar
This beautiful spot is situated about 12 km towards South- East of
Mingora. There is a building of a palace made of white marble and
used to be occupied by the Wali's father, namely Abdul Wadood , alias
Bacha Sahib. There is an open mosque a spring of very cold water at a
lower level than the palace. A parking platform is also available
between the mosque and the palace. For several decades the building
remained vacant just to remind the rule of the ex-autocrat. Now this
has been leased out to become a restaurant- cum- hotel. It has also got
the facility of joy rides for the children. Since this is situated at a
height of about 4000 ft and has got shaded trees around and also
along the approach road, it has wholesome cooling effect on the
visitors.
6.3.12 Fizagat
The scenic river bank located a few kilometers from Mingora is a
tourist attraction spot throughout the year but more so during the
summer months as the cold snow melt water of Swat river affords
welcome relief to the visitors who sometimes enjoy a dip in the river.

The site has attraction as a picnic spot in all seasons of the year.
The back history of this attractive name is however very gruesome.
This site used to be called Qazaghat previously as condemned
prisoners of the then Swat State were executed here by firing squads
of the ex-ruler Bacha Sahib, Abdul Wadood by name and father of the
ex- Wali. Shariat Laws were practiced under the patronage of Bacha
Sahib Abdul Wadood by his appointed Qazis. The implementation of
the Islamic Jurisprudence by the then Qazis was according to their own
knowledge of Islam and there was no scope of appeal against the
verdict.
6.3.13 Miandam
This is situated midway between Mingora and Khwazakhela. It has got
an attractive commanding view over the narrow valley at the end of
which it is situated. A PTDC hotel has sometime back been established
which offers facilities to the tourists for stay. There is yet another Rest
House nearby. The connecting road between the two has been
proposed to be black topped at a cost of R: 2.0 million. A provision of
0.5 million is made for 1995- 96 while R: 1.5 million are proposed to be
spent in 1996- 97.
6.3.14 Malam Jaba
Malam Jabba is a Ski-cum-summer Tourist Resort, 35 kilometers from
Saidu Sharif (an hour long drive) where a beautiful white palatial
building of a newly built hotel welcomes the tourists. There are two
kinds of lift chairs. One for reaching the hill top and the other which
takes us to the skiing area during the winters. The resort is still not

fully developed. A luxurious hotel accommodation has been
constructed with the cooperation of Austrian Govt. Situated at a
height about 6,500 ft it has an attraction for the tourists to welcome
them. The tourists are however visiting the site infrequently . There
could be a few reasons for the same. Lack of publicity, uneasy and
uncomfortable access road and lack of adequate security measures
could be the possible reasons.
6.3.15 Manglor
This is a populous village situated on the left bank of Swat River
between Mingora and Khwazakhela. It is an important village
historically as it has remained the seat of rule during the Mughals and
even before that.
6.3.16 Madyan and Yakh Kandao
This is located on the main Mingora Kalam Road. By now it has a few
good hotels to accommodate tourists. From the bridge over Swat river
right in the bazaar, splashing turbulent water downstream and the
winding river upstream with green hills on the north and west present
an enchanting scenery. One is always tempted to have a stay of at
least a day or two if not more, to enjoy the view and bulling water of
Swat River.
6.3.17 Bahrain
It too is situated on the main Mingora- Kalam Road, just short of Kalam.

Here the gushing and splashing crystal clear cold water of two
tributaries meet which presents an absorbing moment to the mind
and the eyes. The swift movement of beautiful trout fish to and for is
an added attraction.
6.3.18 Kalam
Kalam (6,800 feet above sea level) is about 110 kilometers (65 miles)
north of Mingora and is the highest city in the Swat valley. A wooden
bridge links the city parts across the river. On all sides there are snow-
covered peaks of the Hindu Kush range, dense forests of fir, pine,
deodar and wild flowers. This is the terminus of the main glen starting
somewhere from Khwazakhela, as the valley here splits into two, one
towards Ushoo and the other towards Athrore. The river bed here
slightly wider, forms two small islands which further adds to the
beauty of the place as tourists reach the island with picnic
arrangements, photography and angling. It is to remind that trout fish
here is one of the greatest attraction, which is available under
licensed reel and rod.
6.3.19 Usho
Beyond Kalam on right is a beautiful valley by the name of Usho.
Traversing the road through thick grooves of pine trees, one is
enchanted by the attractive avenues of the greenery and the mild
ascent. Small hamlets on either side add to the beauty, away from
humdrum life of cities and vehicular noise. The valley is long enough
to touch more and still more scenic sites ahead.
6.3.20 Matiltan

Matiltan is the first small habitation in the Usho valley and akin to the
greenery just traversed. A tributary of Swat river with its constant
rumbling sound and shining snow melt water presents a perpetual
sources of joy to the mind. Angling for trout here is an astonishing
pastime.
6.3.21 Mahudand Lake
From Kalam, Mahodand Lake is 30 kilometers and to visit the lake one
has to hire a jeep. About 10 kilometers before the lake, there is a
fascinating waterfall. It is the most beautiful and biggest fall in this
area. En route to Mahudand one comes across two or at least one
glaciers, which may pose an obstacle for onward journey.
6.3.22 Athrore
The left of Kalam valley upstream leads to Athrore. The shingle road
runs all along the tributary of Swat river for 24 kilometers. This
tributary is in fact the major affluent of the two and because of
comparatively steeper slope presents an awe when this water strikes
against very high rocks. Up and up as we approach Athrore proper,
the valley becomes wider and wider. Green fields of potatoes and
corns present a true natural picture of village life undisturbed by the
artificial human innovations. Goats grazing on the slopes, small
children cutting grass along the terraced field while singing in their
dialects is a common scene.
6.3.23 Kandolo Dand

This is a beautiful lake in the extreme end of Athrore valley, so far
seen and visited by very limited number of tourists. The lake is one
and half kilometer long and one kilometer wide. Its beauty lies in its
location at a very high altitude and surrounded by the high mountains.
One distinct feature of this lake is that its water does not flow directly
from the lake itself. Unlike Saiful Muluk Lake in Kaghan, water flows
from the toe of the hill. This is a unique specialty gifted by God. This
specialty is an indication to the fact that it will survive many vagaries
of climatic changes if and when they happen in the near or distant
future.
To reach the lake one has to take a road passing Athrore bazaar.
Gabral is the terminus of the road beyond which one has to walk on
foot. Gabral is accessible through jeep with about 1 hour run while the
journey on foot takes about 2 hours with 2 to 3 times rest on the
climb. For about 1 hour enjoys the fast gushing stream flowing
downhill while striving to go up. You reach a forest Rest House
beautifully located in the thick groove of trees all around it. Up you go
and reach the top, you see the beautiful lake surrounded by high hills
and blue sky in the background. The reflection of the trees in the
crystal clear water presents a captivating scene. The lake is said to be
about 100 feet deep. Kandalo Dand means a lake of bowls. One
interpretation is that it is exactly a bowl in shape, some what oval. The
other is legendary tale that a golden bowl used to float on the surface
but disappeared later on for unknown reasons. Whatever the meaning
the lake is not less than a golden bowl by all means.
6.3.24 Gabral
Gabral is the next beautiful spot in the Athrore valley. This is a

beautiful resort of the valley 8 kilometers ahead in the same direction.
6.3.25 Khawazakhela
Khwazakhela, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from Mingora on the
bank of the Swat River, is the largest commercial centre in this part of
the valley. The main street is worth exploring for silver tribal jewellery,
locally woven and embroidered fabrics, carved woodwork, semi-
precious stones and ancient coins. The bridge across the Swat River at
Khwazakhela leads to a metalled road that follows the river all the way
down to Chakdara. One road on the north westerly direction leads to
Besham and the Karakuram Highway.
6.3.26 Kabal
Kabal is an attractive site located on the north of Mingora town across
river Swat in relatively plain land at the foot of hill range. Nearby is
the airport connecting Swat with the rest of the country. Kabal is a
Golfers Paradise. An eighteen- holes golf course is open all the year
round and a tourist can play by paying the nominal government fee. A
Rest House and a large fruit orchard are also located here. A modern
hotel is planned to be constructed here in the coming years which will
provide facilities of stay for tourists which is presently lacking as the
Rest House is not available to visitors.
6.4 SHANGLA DISTRICT
Shangla is the smallest among all the districts of Malakand. It has the
following potential sites for tourism activity (Fig.4-D).
6.4.1 Shangla Top

It is a mountain top with a great deal to natural beauty. Being located
in relatively higher altitude it remain covered with snow during winter.
The main Shangla road actually passes from the top. Most travellers
stop here for a short time . The place is presently without any facility
or amenity.
6.4.2 Besham
Besham is an important settlement located at the junction of roads
with the Karakuram Highway. A number of tourist facilities including
hotels, motels and restaurants are already offering a wide range of
services.

6.5 LOWER & UPPER DIR DISTRICTS
The sites and locations having potential for tourism activities in Dir are
shown in Fig 4-E and described below.
6.5.1 Churchill Picket
This is situated at the hill top on the left of Chakdara bridge on river
Swat. The bridge separates Dir from Malakand Agency . The Churchill
Picket is named after Sir Winston Churchill the British Prime Minister
during the World War and was built in 1895. He participated in the
Malakand Operation in 1895 as a lieutenant. At the base of the
Churchill picket is the excavated site of Dam kot, which further
increases historic importance of the locality. The picket was also
visited by Queen Elizabeth in 1961 when she visited Swat on the
invitation of then President of Pakistan Field Marshal Muhammad
Ayub Khan.
The site is easily accessible. All facilities such as police post, bank,
dispensary and shopping area exist nearby . A recently constructed
motel by PTDC is a new addition to the facilities. This is situated in
between Batkhela and Chakdara.
6.5.2 Chakpat or Chatpat
At hardly two kilometers from the Chakdara bridge on the north
westerly direction, half a km from the main Chakdara- Dir road a
village by the above name is situated. This small but historic village is
located at the foot of the hill, close to which is a mound.
Archaeologists detected signs of old relics of Buddhism and excavated

the area. As per their expectations and initial visible signs, they were
able to find valuable statues, which are now adorning the show eases
of the Chakdara museum. The site is significant from historic and
archaeological stand point and is of interest to the tourists .

6.5.3 Chakdara Museum
The museum is situated on the main Chakdara - Dir road, at a distance
of one and a half Km from the Chakdara bridge. It is 135 Km away
from Peshawar and 40 Km from Saidu Sharif-Swat. The collection in
the Museum comprises of items from the finds of excavations around
in the area. The Adamzai plain where the museum is situated and the
adjoining Talash plain are rich in archaeological sites, mostly exploited
by the archeology department of the Peshawar University. The
collection in the Museum is a true representation of the old civilization
of the then Buddhist era.
6.5.4 Ouch
Located about 7 Kilometers from Chakdara and one a half km from the
main road on the right side is a village called Ouch. This is the largest
settlement in lower Dir District and is important from many angles. It
has got sweet springs, quite a few in number, which not only satisfy
the needs for drinking but also cater to a good extent for irrigation.
Historically, these springs have been mentioned by Babar, the Mughal
king, who passed through this village and crossed over to Swat.
There are also valuable relics, some of which (the hair) are reported to
belong to the Holy Prophet (PBUH). These have been housed in a
portion of the mosque called Noor Mahal. Every year in the Islamic
month of Rabiul Awal their display is a part of the holy function of
Milad.
6.5.5 Laram Sar

This is a peak of the mountain called Laram (Scorpion). The reason
behind this name is not fully known. The peak is 6,000 feet high with
fresh cold air throughout the year. It is located on a bye-pass road
from Chakdara- Dir road via village Ouch. The site is ideal for a tourist
resort but is lacking in certain amenities like hotel accommodation and
comfortable access road. The existing road is extremely rough.
Potentially the site has bright chances of improvement to attain a
reputation as tourist attraction. An encouraging development is the
proposed black topping of this road. The pace of work however ,is
extremely slow and needs to be accelerated by allocating more funds.
The site was recently visited by the STC management and a
consensus was found regarding the development of the site.
6.5.6 Barcharai Top
This is a hill top named as such and is situated at a distance of 8 Km
from Chakdara on left side of Chakdara Dir road. The top is 5700 feet
high and the hill abounds in wild life. There is no access road except
approach by foot. All other facilities exist in the nearby settlement of
Ouch and Talash. The site can be developed into an attractive and
healthy tourist resort by constructing a jeepable road and suitable
accommodation for overnight stay.
6.5.7 Sheringal Valley
This valley is located in the interior of Dir on a diversion road taking
off 8 Km short of Dir, on the right of Chakdara - Dir road. It has a 40
Km long stretch with beautiful landscape, walnut trees on these slopes
on the hills and green terraced fields, which are irrigated by a
tributary of Panjkora river flowing all along the road in the valley. The

road is fairly motorable. Important villages are Sharingal are Thai,
Lamothani and Kumrat which are located along this stretch. The last
one is the terminus. The snow melt water flowing in the river as well
as in the streams even during summer is as cold as snow itself. The
road was developed when the sawing industry of timber complex was
being established. No tourist facility exists presently but the valley is
potentially rich for such as industry. Suitable huts for overnight stay
should be built at Thai, Lamothai and Kumrat.
6.5.8 Nehag Dara
6.5.9 Osherai Dara
6.5.10 Karo Dara
6.5.11 Toremang Dara
These valleys of the interior Upper Dir district are rich in
greenery of all sorts from Walnuts, almonds and wild berries. The
terraced fields covered with green paddy fields present fascinating
scene during July and August. The water falls with silver shining water
are added attraction. The last hill on Osherai Dara has a beautiful
natural lake at the top equal to the size of Saiful Muluk Lake in Kaghan
Valley. Access road to the top is necessity. Each valley needs at least
one tourist facility to encourage visitors.
6.5.12 Barawal Valley
This valley starts on the left from 8 Km short of Dir town and is about
20 Km in length. Barawal is at the end of this stretch with picturesque
landscape, green walnut trees. Iron ore is extracted by the locals since
time immemorial. It is worth mentioning that all the weaponry of the
ex-ruler of Dir called Nawab was manufactured from this ore, and the

canon guns thus manufactured were also used in Kashmir Jehad in
1947. The gunners of Nawab were expert marksmen. No tourists
activity presently exists in the area. Lack of interest in the
environment by the authorities is resulting in thinning of greenery
which must be checked, to save this attractive valley from
denudation.
6.5.13 Benshahi
About 6 Km north of Summer Bagh in Jandool area of Dir is the hill
called by this name. This is part of the boundary of Afghanistan. The
hill is about 7000 feet high with strong winds blowing all the year
around. For summer months it is an ideal place to stay. On other side
of the valley is a plateau as green as a meadow. Tourist resorts are
needed to attract tourists to this beautiful hill top. The near
settlements is Samar Bagh where all the infrastructure facilities are
available.
6.5.14 Timargarah
This is the district headquarter of Lower Dir and is the junction for Dir
and Jandool. It is a historic site situated on the bank of River Panjkora.
Archaeological excavations have proved historical importance of this
place. All facilities exist here except those as tourist resort. Since this
is an important town in Dir and is situated on the Chitral - Kafiristan
route, the necessary amenities become all the more vital.
6.5.15 Dir/Panakot
Dir used to be the headquarter of the ruler - Nawab. Panakot with

7000 ft height enjoys its attraction during summer which was the
residential place of the Nawab. PTDC has recently completed a road
side facility here.
6.5.16 Lowari Top
This is a hill top 10000 ft high and is a natural boundary between
Upper DIR district and Chitral district. Because of its height it is snow
covered for about six months during the year, and is a handicap in the
development activities in Chitral. Attempts to have a tunnel across
this snow covered mountain during the past could not succeed mostly
because of financial constraints. If and when a tunnel is drilled and
safe passage to Chitral made possible the year round, the distract
would develop.
When the snow melts and the road between Dir and Chitral is
passable, the ascent and descent on this hill present a feat of
motoring. Quite a few tourists cannot face the descent and prefer to
shut their eyes while others enjoy this thrill. When the top and the
approaches to the top are snow covered during the winter months, a
journey by air presents still more a thrilling joy when the snow all
round is viewed from the plane.
6.6 CHITRAL
Chitral is the farthest district of Pakistan, which is surrounded by some
of the highest mountain ranges of the world. Its is mainly accessible
by road through Lowari Pass in the south, which remains closed for
almost six months of the year, making it one of the most inaccessible
areas of the country. The specific geographical and topographical
conditions make it one of the most attractive places from the tourism
point of view. The sites and locations identified as potential tourism

places are shown in Fig. 4-F and described as under.
6.6.1 Ziarat
Ziarat is perhaps the first point of attraction after scaling the Lowari
Top into Chitral. The place is located approximately 8 kilometers from
the top on the main road. Chitral militia maintains a permanent post
here. The place has a significant function/role to play during the
journeys to and from Chitral as it is used for the stay by the
commuters during the period when Lowari Top is closed. Both tourists
and local passengers are forced to stay here during that period. The
place has another significant role to play as the proposed Lowari
tunnel as and when it is built, will have an exit at this point.
The place has nothing else to offer as no significant activity takes
place here. Few substandard hotels provide accommodation to the
passengers who are forced to stay here due to reasons stated earlier.
These hotels also offer substandard restaurant facility. No telephone,
electricity, post and telegraph or other facilities are provided here.
However, the militia has a wireless contact with other areas in the
region.
All foreign visitors get themselves registered here before entering into
Chitral, which is done by the Chitral Scouts.

6.6.2 Mirkhani Fort
At the junction of roads, one from Arandu and the other from Lowari
Top is located the historic Mirkhani Fort, at a distance of about 15
kilometers from Lowari Top. At this point Chitral river turns right
towards Arandu and then into Afghanistan. The Fort itself is located on
a higher level giving it prominent position from where the rulers in old
days used to command the area. The Fort at present is occupied by
Chitral Scouts as a wing headquarter.
Mirkhani provides civic amenities and services to the visitors in
addition to its own population comprising approximately 200 houses.
Basic facilities including post office and telephone are available here,
however, the place is without electricity, which is planned to be
provided in the near future. Some 40 to 50 shops are located along
the main road catering to the needs for the local population as also
the visitors.
6.6.3 Naghar Fort
About 3 kilometer from Mirkhani Fort towards Chitral, the Naghar Fort
is located on the bank of Chitral River. The Fort is presently occupied
by a nephew of the ex-Mehtar of Chitral who welcomes a number of
foreign tourists every year. A suspension bridge on river Chitral links
the Fort with the main road. The place is rich in natural beauty in the
surrounding areas and is a favorite stop over for the foreign tourists.
However, it does not offer any civic urban facility of any kind, except a
telephone link which is provided to the Fort only.
6.6.4 Arandu

Located at the border with Afghanistan, Arandu is about 32 Km from
Mirkhani. Arandu is the last major Pakistani town before entering into
Afghanistan and provides an alternate route linking Chitral with rest of
Pakistan. But almost half of the journey passes through the Kunar
District of Afghanistan. Mostly the local population uses this route
during the periods when Lowari Top is closed for all traffic. The route
is not used by the foreign tourists as it is not safe.
A few hotels of substandard level provide accommodation to the
passengers who are forced to stay for one reason or the other. A small
market provides the shopping facilities to the local population. Arandu
is an old settlement which has played historic role during the ancient
times being en route of the foreign invaders. A post office, a police
station and telephone office are located here, however no bank or any
other facility is located. Electricity has not yet been provided to
Arandu.
6.6.5 Drosh
Drosh is the second largest town of Chitral District with an
approximate population of 10,000 persons. At local level this is the
biggest urban center in lower Chitral. Located at a distance of about
37 kilometers from Lowari Top, this is the first urban settlement of any
significant size. It used to be the headquarter of Chitral Scouts for may
years, till recently when it was shifted to Chitral city.
Drosh is a historic city which witnessed a number of historic events in
the past. It used to be a sort of a cantonment in olden days due to its
strategic location in the surrounding areas. A number of important

Darras (valleys) fan out from Drosh towards different directions. The
most important of these Darras are Shishikoh and Ursun.
Drosh is a Tehsil headquarter of Chitral District where a number of
urban and civic facilities are located which include a hospital, a
telephone exchange, a post office, a police station and a Rest House
of C&W Deptt. The office of the Extra Assistant Commissioner is also
located here. The town is served with adequate infrastructure facilities
including water supply and electricity. However, sewerage system is
comprised of open drains. It happens to be the winter station for
whole of Chitral valley, where otherwise the temperature are
extremely low. Drosh is also connected by a helicopter service with Dir
during winter when Lowari Top is closed. A site for the old
airport/airstrip used by the British, is still existing in Drosh. The garden
of Drosh and the area as a whole are attractions for tourists during
their short stay in Drosh. As against its strategic situation en route to
Chitral, the hotel activity is not significant. It is most probably so
because very few tourists choose Drosh for an overnight stay. They
rather prefer to move on to Chitral.
6.6.6 Ayun
Ayun is perhaps the most beautiful and the largest single village in
Chitral This village is actually located at the mouth of the three
famous valleys of Kalash. The very situation of this village assigns it a
significant importance. Ayun is located on the right bank of Chitral
River and is accessible by two suspension bridges from the main
Chitral Road. The village is connected by telephone as also a police
station, Basic Health Unit (BHU) and post office are located here. The
village is served by electricity through a privately owned power

generator. This village also offers jeep service to the visitors travelling
to the Kalash valleys. A small bazaar caters for the local needs for
shopping etc.
6.6.7 Kalash/Kafiristan
The Kafirs are a primitive tribe with their origin lost in antiquity. Some
15 kilometers south of Chitral city and west of Chitral river, there lies
the entry to a gorge between the high and rocky cliffs. The gorge
slopes gently upwards, fanning out into a number of smaller valleys,
and it is in these valleys that the last surviving Kafirs dwell. Following
are the three major valleys of Kalash:
i. Birir
ii. Bamburat
iii. Rumbur
This tribe though surrounded by the Muslim population follow their
own religion, customs and beliefs which dates back to several
centuries, may be thousands of years. There are two distinct type of
Kafirs: the Bashgarlis (Red Kafirs) and the Kalash (Black Kafirs). The
Chitrali Kafirs are Kalash. The Red Kafirs are mostly Muslims converted
during the last century and are settled in the upper valley of Chitral.
They are also known as Shaikhs. Some historians define them as Indo-
Iranian, while others consider that they are the descendants of Greeks
left behind by Alexander the Great.
The main access to the Kalash valley is from Ayun which provides all
the basic facilities and amenities to these valleys.
6.6.8 Chitral

Chitral town, the largest urban settlement in Chitral Valley, the seat of
rulers in old days and the present day district headquarters is located
at a distance of 79 kilometers from Lowari Top. Invaders have been
entering Chitral both from Afghanistan and Gilgit. Chitral Fort has
been a strong defence post for the state during the invasions. The Fort
is well preserved and as a central point of attractions for the visitors.
Being the district headquarters with a population of about 14,000
persons Chitral enjoys all basic urban facilities and amenities including
hotels, restaurants, post and telegraphs service, telephone, electricity,
banks, shopping areas etc.
Interesting places in Chitral include the Chitral Fort, Shahi Mosque,
Shahi Bagh, Police Bagh, Council Buildings and the Polo Ground.
Chitral maintains a strong polo team during the annual polo festival at
Shandoor. One remarkably beautiful and interesting attractive place is
Birmolasht which is a plateau adjacent to Chitral.
6.6.9 Garam Chashma
The significance of Gram Chashma as is reflected from its name is due
to the natural hot springs of mineral (sulphur) water located here.
These springs are famous to cure a number of skin diseases for which
people from local areas as well as from other parts of the country
come here. A small settlement of about 400 houses has also emerged
here with some commercial activities to cater for the needs of the
local population as well as of the visitors. Garam Chashma is located

at a distance of about 35 kilometer from Chitral, therefore, the
overnight stay facilities are not locally required. However, a police
station, telephone office, a rest house and a post of Chitral Scouts are
located here. The village has its own water supply system and an
electricity supply system through a private power generator.
Garam Chashma is anticipated to gain more attention in the near
future as the proposed road leading to the Central Asia will pass
through here before entering into Afghanistan. The project has now
entered into a serious phase as the stretch of road passing through
Afghanistan is already under execution and the Chief Minister of
NWFP, Mr. Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has recently paid a special visit
to Garam Chashma in this regard.
6.6.10 Gobar Bakh Darra
Gobar Bakh Darra is a pass en route to Afghanistan from Pakistan at a
distance of about 20 Kilometers from Gram Chashma. Gobar Bakh is
the last village of Chitral before crossing the border. Gobar Bakh has
little significance otherwise, however, the scenery in far distance
showing the snow clad peaks of Hindu Kush is quite attractive and
enchanting.

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