Providence knows when would Lowari tunnel be hundred percent operational . Owing to inordinate delay in its construction its expenditure has shot up manifold. This tunnel was the brainchild of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto though work on it started in full swing as late as in 2003. This project which was to cost 7 billion rupees would now cost the national exchequer a whopping 46 billion rupees .
Chiral has got a great tourism potential. But for poor communication system it would have attracted tourists galore. Lowari top used to remain closed for almost 6 months in a year in the winter and the PIA flights too were erratic. The Lowari tunnel would ensure round the year traffic and a all-weather road would be available to the tourists to visit the ethereal heights of Chitral and enjoy scenic beauty of its valleys including the famous Kalaash valley. Chitral has the added advantage of being the most peaceful district of the KPK . Visit of the tourists both from inside and outside the country to Chitral would lessen the burden of tourists on Murree, Galyaat and Swat. Likewise, there is a need to develop Fort Munro, Ziarat , Samana, Razmak and Sheikh Badin also as hill stations.
When the Taliban were in power in Afghanistan the Afghan government had allowed Chitralis to to use Arandu-Nawa -pass-Mohmand route for their visits to Peshawar in winter when Lowari top is blocked by heavy snowfall as a result of which there is literally no road traffic between Peshawar and Chitral from November to May. That concession was withdrawn by Kabul once the Taliban were overthrown after nine-eleven.
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