By: Abdul Shakoor Khan
LISTEN ARTICLE
When man first began to explore the world of the Almighty, his top three desires have been for flowing water, blowing air, flowering flora, and pleasing serenity. Historic Hanna Urak Valley, Quetta is home to all four of these elements.
One has the impression that he is enjoying life in the hereafter and that Allah has given him a piece of land as the prize for his good acts while sitting beside the crystal clear water that cascades down from the enigmatic rugged mountains.
Urak valley, a picturesque landscape surrounded by rugged mountains
Urak Valley, a place of picturesque landscape surrounded by uneven mountains in the Quetta district of Balochistan province, has a population of about 24000.
The Hana Lake, which was established by the British, is close to Urak Valley, which is 20 kilometers from Quetta. The end of it has a small waterfall that serves as the entry to the nearby Wali Tangi Dam.
It is the ancestral home of the Pashtun Kakar tribe, who are renowned for their kindness, bravery, and hospitality. High-quality apple trees are grown here, and they are exported to a number of nations.
Daily 15,000 to 20,000 tourists visit Hanna Urak
Hanna Urak Valley now has the distinction of being the only tourist point in Balochistan with average daily visits of between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists. The most visits have ever been recorded at any of Balochistan’s tourist points.
According to Mr. Mohammad Yunus, the landlord in the Hanna valley, “around fifteen to twenty thousand people from throughout the country and parts of Balochistan rush to Hanna Urak Valley daily to observe the natural beauty.
We have a deep connection to this place, and we always abide by the golden rules of hospitality when visitors arrive in our valley.
You cannot avoid visiting Hanna Valley at least once if you are traveling to Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan.
“We are tired of tough daily schedules”, tourists
“Tired of our busy schedule and daily routine, we spare time and visit Quetta to experience scenic Urak valley, “Usman Ansari, a resident of the Landhi area of Karachi said.
The environment is pleasing; the people are friendly unlike some of the people of northern areas of the country where not only prices of the commodities are raised manifold during the tourist season, but the tourists are too maltreated.
Ameer Hamza Sarangzai, narrating the history of the valley said that before Pakistan came into being, our ancestors had inked MoU with the British rulers regarding the provision of water to the cantonment established adjacent to the Hanna Valley. The British Army stationed at Cantonment was charged per gallon.
However, he noted that “after the Independence of Pakistan, elders of the valley including Malik Sikandar Khan, Malik Taj Mohammad, Haji Abdul Rahim Sarngzai and others met the then governor and agreed to continue providing fresh water free of cost. “This tradition continues till day”
Our love for our homeland Pakistan made President and Field Marshal Ayub Khan visit Hanna Urak. During his visit in 1965, he announced to build of a dam for the area’s people. He fulfilled his promise and the “Wali Tanki Dam” was built that helped store the water and irrigate the agricultural land.
“My father Malik Ghulam Mohammad Sarangzai was the first member of the Pakistan People’s Party from Balochistan,” he said adding that we still have a membership card issued by Zulfiqar Bhutto with his own handwriting.
Malik Nasir Khan former Councilor of Hanna Valley, said, “Provincial government wails for the scarcity of funds but do not pay heed to the tourism sector especially developing the biggest tourist point of the province Hanna Urak,” By allocating a sizable budget for the development of tourist points, it could generate millions of rupee only from Hanna Valley.
As ill luck would have it, like other parts of the province, floods in 2022 caused havoc in the Hanna Valley as well.
“The recent flash floods devastated 100 percent of apple orchards and agricultural land, swept away road and other infrastructure, Mr. Yunus landlord of Hanna said.
As road infrastructure has perished, it takes two hours to reach the Hanna valley from the entrance which used to take 30 minutes, he said lamenting that despite the passage of eight months, neither compensation to the victims were given nor steps were taken to restore the damaged infrastructure.
“We had, on our own, established small hotels, swimming pools, parks, and other edible spots to attract the tourists,” The effort was aimed at generating revenue for the local community but after the floods, it shut completely leaving the area people in dismay.
Mr. Ibrahim JUI leader in the valley also seemed disappointed in the response of the authorities concerned to restore tourist activities since it has been at a standstill after the floods destroyed everything.
“In the aftermath of a catastrophe that hit the province in June 2022 agriculture, apple orchards, and small business are no more there to support the local community of Hanna Valley,” It is the responsibility of the provincial government to take the issue seriously and initiate rehabilitation process on war-footing.
The concerted efforts, in this connection, would not only ease issues faced by the local community but also generate revenue for the provincial kitty.
Balochistan Spokesperson Babar Yusufzai when contacted reaffirmed the government’s resolve to resuscitate tourism in the province. “Government is well cognizant of the issues faced by the people of the valley. The rehabilitation process is underway and we are striving hard to complete it as soon as possible,”
About Hanna Valley, he assured that strenuous measures would be put in place to restore the damaged road infrastructure. We will leave no stone unturned to revive the hustle and bustle of the tourists at the historic Hanna valley.
Secretary of Tourism and Culture Manzoor Hussain said Balochistan tourism is characterized by diversity in the fields of tourism.
Balochistan has been specially blessed in terms of tourism. There are beautiful sites and I request people from the country and outside Pakistan, to visit Balochistan and enjoy the beauty of nature and ensure investment in Balochistan.
“The resource allocation for tourism must have a government of Balochistan’s priority; he said adding that the government is trying to equip the picnic points with all sorts of facilities and pay special heed to Hanna Urak and other tourist points in the province.
With a rich historical history and the distinction of being the most popular tourist destination in Balochistan, the government must address the problems affecting the local population and initiate massive development initiatives in order to revive tourism in the region#
