MANSEHRA: Tourists rushed to witness the frozen Saiful Muluk Lake after reopening of the Lake Road on Saturday.

`I am seeing such a beautiful frozen lake for the first time,` Sahrish Irfan, a tourist from Karachi, told mediapersons. The tourists staying in Naran found a great opportunity to witness the heavy snow at the entire Lake Road and on mountains surrounding the romantic place.

The Hoteliers Association of Kaghan valley bore the cost incurred on reopening of the Lake Road which was blocked to traffic following heavy snowfall in the valley in early January this year.

`Though this is a dangerous jeep track which leads from Naran to Saiful Muluk Lake, but when I put a glance on the frozen lake I was astonished and started enjoying the momentswith my family,` said Ayesha, a tourist from Faisalabad.

She said that her entire family was present in the valley for the last one weel(, but when heavy snow at the Lake Road was cleared they rushed here and watched an unbelievable scene.

Saith Matiullah, the president of Hoteliers Association, said that the Lake Road was reopened to traffic with the financial assistance of his association.

He said that work on reopening of the Naran-Babusar section of Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road was in progress and it would also be reopened to traffic within a week.

Mohammad Tariq, SHO Kaghan police, said that with the reopening of Lake Road five policemen were deployed to provide security to the tourists.

He said that a tourist facilitation centre would soon be established at the Saiful Muluk Lake.

Other people said that the track from Naran to Saiful Muluk Lake was dangerous and the government should earmark funds for its carpeting which would boost tourism in the valley.