New Toll Tax Imposed on Tourists Travelling to Northern Areas

Authorities have decided to allow the National Highway Authority (NHA) to collect toll tax from tourists and passengers traveling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan through the scenic Kaghan Valley.

The decision was made during a meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner Khalid Iqbal at the New Circuit House in Balakot. The session was attended by MPA Munir Hussain Lughmani, former minister Syed Ahmad Hussain Shah, local officials, hotel owners, and representatives from various political and tourism stakeholders.

DC Iqbal clarified that while tourists will be required to pay toll, residents of Mansehra district will be exempt. He added that the toll plaza’s installation has been formally notified by the federal government, which has also approved Rs. 4 billion for infrastructure development in the area.

District Police Officer Shafiullah Khan Gandapur urged all parties to maintain law and order during implementation.

However, hoteliers raised concerns about the new toll system’s potential impact on tourism. Seth Matiullah, President of the Hoteliers Association Naran, warned that it could slow down traffic and burden an already heavily taxed industry.

Just last week, local protesters had dismantled a toll plaza installed near Naran, throwing parts of it into the Kunhar River in defiance of the toll plan.