Saved by the weather: Five tea shacks,11 houses set on fire

MANSEHRA:

Unidentified culprits set five roadside tea shacks and 11 houses on fire in Siri Paye village, a known tourist spot in Kaghan Valley, said the police on Saturday.

According to the police, no loss of life was reported as residents had already moved to low-lying areas due to the cold weather.

“Every year during winter, residents of the village move down to the plains in mid-October or November and return in March or April when the temperature starts to go up,” Balakot police quoted Pervez Khan, head of the village as saying. This year, like the ones before, they had shifted to Balakot and other areas with their cattle.

In the absence of owners and residents, some unidentified persons set fire to their properties, reducing them to ashes.

Police said no one was living in the houses and the shacks were boarded up to be reopened in March or April when the tourist season starts.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2015.