Mansehra: The district administration of Mansehra has announced a complete closure of the MNJ (Mansehra–Naran–Jalkhad–Gilgit) Road until May 2026, as part of winter safety measures to protect travelers from hazardous conditions in the upper Kaghan Valley.
Assistant Commissioner Balakot, Hasrat Khan, told reporters on Wednesday that passenger vehicles, motorists, and tourists will not be allowed to travel between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) via the Kaghan Valley until the road reopens next summer. The decision was taken in a meeting attended by heads of all relevant departments.
He said that authorities in Chilas, Gilgit-Baltistan, had also imposed similar restrictions on the Mansehra–Naran–Jalkhad route to ensure consistent safety measures.
Tourists, however, will be permitted to travel only up to Battakundi and Lake Saiful Muluk between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and only if vehicles are equipped with chained tyres. Khan clarified that no restrictions have been placed on travel up to Naran until the next snowfall.
Most local residents in Barawai, Battakundi, and other areas beyond Naran have already migrated for the winter, while the remaining community members are expected to leave within a week or after the second snowfall. Police posts in the upper reaches of the valley have also been closed for the season.
The AC said the Kaghan–Babusar Top section of the MNJ Road is expected to reopen in early May next year, marking the end of the winter closure.
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