Pleasant retreat: Kalam festival begins June 20

Tent village set up along Mahodand Lake.

KALAM:

In an effort to revive flagging tourism and provide entertainment to those visiting the area, a three-day summer festival will begin in Kalam on June 20.

The festival, which has been organised by the Pakistan Army in collaboration with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, aims to encourage sustainable tourism in the valley.

“Swat Valley is a peaceful part of the country with tremendous beauty. We are sending a message to all nature lovers and tourists throughout the world to come and enjoy this natural paradise,” said Inter-Services Public Relations spokesman Colonel Zeeshan.

Tourists have already reached Kalam and Mahodand where a tent village has been set up along the Mahodand Lake.

After temperatures soared across the country, many people turned to the northern areas of Pakistan to enjoy the natural beauty and pleasant weather.



Mahodand Lake in Kalam Valley is considered to be a popular place for tourists, with people from across the country visiting this area in the summer. This year, before the advent of the summer festival, the lake is already packed with tourists who have set up several tents.

“Since the Pakistan Army has constructed a track leading to the lake last year, the number of tourists has increased three-fold. This year, a record number of tourists came to the lake, making it extremely difficult to find a vacant tent,” said Mohammad Iqbal, a local from Kalam, who had setup a make-shift tea stall alongside the lake.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2013.