I RECENTLY visited Murree, Bhurban and Nathiagali. A few years ago when I visited Nathiagali, the roads were in a poor condition owing to landslides in the region, while the Murree road was well developed.

Unfortunately, and to my surprise, this year I witnessed pathetic roads, and filth and garbage all over Murree.

As soon as we entered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa all the way to Nathiagali, roads were well-carpeted with proper lane markings with fences. The valley was clean and no garbage and filth was seen. We stopped at a tea stall. It was our regular stop. This year it offered a scenic view and pleasant atmosphere. I could see picnickers and families enjoying the weather.

I saw tea boy asking one picnicker to go down and pick up the empty soft drink bottle that he had thrown and to put it in the waste bin. The tea boy had a clear message: do not through garbage in our valley.

The same tea stall had restrooms. The cleanliness of the restrooms was average according to my standards and way above average compared with the restrooms in Punjab.

We praised the owner whom we have known for many years about this wise investment. He said the government had invested in the uplifting of the valley to attract tourists. We also saw Chief Minister Pervez Khattak crossing near Taj Mahal Hotel with only a few unmarked guards wo were hardly noticeable. There was no blockade or traffic chaos because of his movement.

I have not seen the Punjab chief minister or his son or even a family member moving in Lahore without first closing all the roads on their route for hours before travelling in a motorcade.

Muzafar-ul-Haq

Lahore

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2016