Travel Ban Imposed on Gilgit to KPK Via Kaghan Valley
MANSEHRA: The district administration of Mansehra has imposed a complete ban on travelling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan via the Kaghan Valley until next summer, due to hazardous winter conditions.
The ban also applies to the Mansehra–Naran–Jalkhad (MNJ) Road, which is prone to dangerous ice and snow buildup.
According to Balakot’s Assistant Commissioner Hasrat Khan, the decision was taken in a high-level meeting with all relevant departments, including local administration, police, rescue services, and the highway authority, citing “rising safety risks from snow and ice.”
Khan also confirmed that tourists will be allowed to travel only up to Battakundi and Lake Saiful Muluk, between 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and only if their vehicles are equipped with chained tyres. “Vehicles cannot move safely on icy roads before or after this four-hour window,” he stated.
He further clarified that no restrictions have been placed on travel to Naran until the next spell of snowfall. While most of the indigenous community living beyond Naran, in areas like Barawai and Battakundi, have already migrated, those remaining are expected to leave within a week or after the second snowfall in Kaghan Valley.
Officials expect the MNJ Road’s upper stretch (towards Babusar Pass / Babusar-Top) to remain closed until early May 2026, when melting snow will restore safer driving conditions.
