Kaghan | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Communications Aleem Khan on Tuesday approved the construction of a new, state-of-the-art motorway via Mansehra, Kaghan, Naran, Jhal Khand, and Chilas (MNJC) to provide a safe alternative route to the Karakoram Highway (KKH). The decision was taken in a meeting of the National Highway Authority (NHA) held under the chairmanship of the minister, where key decisions were approved to modernise the country’s transport infrastructure. The secretary of communications and NHA Chairman Capt (retd) Asadullah Khan were also present. During the meeting, the federal minister was briefed on ongoing and new projects. Officials told the meeting that the MNJC motorway would be 172km in length, and that the route would reduce travel distance on the KKH by up to 120 kilometres. The project will be completed in two phases, the minister said. In the first phase, the motorway will be built from Mansehra to Kaghan, Naran, and Babusar Top, while the second phase will cover the section from Babusar To...

At least two people were killed in an accident on Tuesday after their car plunged into a ravine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kaghan area, rescue officials said. Fatal accidents are common on roads in the mountainous regions of the country due to traffic rule violations, treacherous terrain and poor infrastructure. Mansehra Rescue 1122 spokesperson Amir Khadam said, “A car with three family members aboard fell into a ravine, resulting in the death of the couple,” adding that the three-year-old son remained safe in the incident. He said that the family had come to Kaghan from Punjab’s Attock district for a picnic. “Local people and rescue teams reached the spot as soon as the incident was reported, Khadam said. “The bodies were recovered from the car and immediately taken to the Kaghan Rural Health Centre for first aid.” He added that the bodies were sent to their native area of Hazro in the Attock district. On March 5, three employees of a Chinese company working on the Dasu hydropower project were killed when a tr...