‘Heaven on earth’ lacks civic amenities

The beautiful Sopat valley hidden behind the mountains of Upper Kohistan is nothing less than a paradise on earth.

A journey of eight kilometres from Naran, which takes three hours, ends in a valley that is the epitome of natural scenery. It has large lush pastures, clear waters of the rivers, glaciers and springs flowing from the rocks.

The valley has at least eight beautiful lakes, the most scenic of which is Lake Mahin, which is about a two-hour walk from Mahin village. The lake is home to high-quality trout, the hunting of which is banned for the locals.

The valley is free of any insects. There are no snakes, scorpions, insects, crabs, frogs and ants. Rather, there are polar bears, leopards and markhor.

Although the valley has been blessed by nature, its people are deprived of basic facilities, schools, hospitals and electricity. A road has been built from Naran up to half of the valley while the other half of the valley is without a road. There is only one school and that too without teachers.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had visited the valley and its lakes twice and had committed to building a road, but this promise has not been fulfilled to date.

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Some locals shared their ordeals because of a lack of infrastructure facilities. A local, Maroof Khan, said that he was going to the valley of Naran with his family a year ago. When they got stuck in the snow all night and had to stay under the open sky without a roof. The next morning, the locals rescued them.

Similarly, another local, Abdul Hakim, said his uncle was ill a few months ago and the top was closed because of heavy snowfall. The patient had to be carried on the back of family but he died because of the long way and delay in getting treatment.

Kohistan Deputy Commissioner (DC) Arif Khan Yousafzai, talking to The Express Tribune, said that there was a lack of basic facilities in the area. He had visited the valley a few weeks ago and had met the heads of various departments of the district after identifying problems afflicting the area, he added.

The DC said that Babu Sar Road is of great importance for the people of the valley and for its construction the C&W Department will provide Rs1.5 million. Meanwhile, Senator Talha Mahmood has also given Rs1.5 million in cash, which will help in completing the road.

The people of Sopot want basic health facilities as there is no dispensary in the entire valley, said the DC, adding that temporary nursing staff will be made available soon and the school would also be made functional.

Member Provincial Assembly Muhammad Deedar Khan said special attention is being paid to the valley. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has planned a major road project under the Kite project in collaboration with World Bank for which a survey has been conducted. The project, worth Rs7 billion, has been delayed because of a dispute between local groups and tribes.

One group is of the view that the road should be built from Dasu to the inside of the valley, while the other favours constructing the road from Naran. “The project will start as soon as a local jirga will resolve the dispute,” said Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2021.