Our Correspondent
Muzaffarabad
A blanket of snow on Sunday has covered Azad Kashmir and other hilly tourist destinations of the country which received moderate snowfall of the season and giving picturesque look to attract visitors. On weekend the people from various parts of the country especially Punjab and Islamabad thronged Murree and AJK to catch glimpses of the snow-blanketed hill stations famous for scenic beauty and captivating landscape.
According to locals of these areas, the powdery white layer enhanced the beauty of hills that drew scores of visitors despite of extreme weather conditions. Many motorists stopped their vehicles on the way to take pictures also with snowmen. All restaurants get packed with tourists and the demanded for winter clothes also went up as the mercury were below the freezing point, a local in Murree said while speaking to a private news channel.
The snowfall was tempting the visitors to come out of their homes and enjoy this rare beauty despite the bone-chilling winds, said a citizen. Hills always attracted me but in every winter, these glimmering white peaks became my favourite subject for photography, said a Photojournalist. The weather across Azad Jammu & Kashmir has remained dry and cold since the snowfall and with the night temperature staying several degrees below the freezing point, said a visitor.
A large number of people visited country hills to enjoy the snow after media reported that the hill resorts received snowfall, said another visitor Noman Khalid. Meanwhile, a Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) official said that all resorts including Bhurban, New Murree, Kashmir Point, Pindi Point, Mall Road and Ayubia were packed with tourists but we strictly asked them to follow Covid-19 SOPs and avoid wrong parking while staying on roads. Traffic police in areas also said that tourists were not allowed to go to the higher regions as most of the roads have become slippery.
