PESHAWAR: Over 95,000 tourists visited various scenic destinations across Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province during the Eid Al-Fitr holidays, the provincial tourism authority said on Thursday.
KP, with its scenic mountains, valleys and lakes, is home to popular tourist destinations like Swat, Malam Jabba, Abbottabad, Kaghan, Naran and Shogran, which attract visitors from across Pakistan.
Pakistan observed the three-day Eid Al-Fitr holidays — celebrated by Muslims worldwide to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan — from Mar. 31 to Apr. 2.
“Tourists flocked to various tourist destinations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Eid-Al-Fitr,” Muhammad Saad, the spokesperson for the KP Tourism Authority, said in a statement on Thursday.
“More than 95,000 tourists were recorded in three days.”
He said the highest number of tourists visited the province’s scenic Naran valley, 42,111, during the Eid holidays and the Galiyat region saw 28,000 visitors during the same time period.
At least 16,400 tourists visited Kumrat valley, he added.
“Tourism police personnel are performing their duty at various tourist destinations,” the official said.
Tourism in KP saw a massive surge during last year’s Eid holidays, with an increase of over 360 percent compared to 2023.
According to data from the provincial tourism authority, at least 580,000 tourists visited northwestern Pakistan during the five-day holidays in April 2024.
While Pakistan’s inflation has significantly decreased compared to last year, militant attacks, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have surged recently.
March saw militant attacks in Pakistan exceed 100 for the first time in over nine years, making it the deadliest month since 2015, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
The think tank reported that KP and southwestern Balochistan province were the hardest-hit provinces, although eastern Punjab and southern Sindh also witnessed a rise in militant activity.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of providing shelter to militant groups targeting civilians and security forces in cross-border attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a claim that has been denied by Kabul’s authorities.
Northwest Pakistan sees influx of over 95,000 tourists during Eid holidays
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Northwest Pakistan sees influx of over 95,000 tourists during Eid holidays
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Naran Valley saw the highest tourist turnout, says the provincial tourism authority
- Northwestern Pakistan is home to scenic mountain landscapes, lush valleys and picturesque lakes
Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling
- Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
- Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network.
The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia.
Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said.
“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said.
The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone.
It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.
“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said.
“Further investigation is underway.”
Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean.
Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.
Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.
