PESHAWAR - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) Director General Barkatullah has said that there is no restriction on the arrival of international tourists and their subsequent visit to the scenic places anywhere in the province.
“The international tourists can come and visit the beautiful places of their choice anywhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on tourism visa while foreigners coming to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on other visa must have to obtain non-objection certificate (NOC) before visiting tourist attractions in the province,” said a communique quoting him as saying.
The DG made it clear that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Tourism Department and KPCTA welcome international tourists to visit marvellous scenic sites of their choice in nook and corner of the province.
He said there was no restriction on travelling and visits of international tourists to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He advised the foreign tourists to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and obtain NOCs before visiting scenic places.
It may be mentioned that some international tourists were stopped at the checkpoint at the Toll Plaza on Swat Expressway in Malakand to verify their travelling documents the previous day. After verification, the tourists were then escorted by the police squad to their destination.
However, the DG said that certain elements launched a malicious propaganda on social media about the legal procedure and lawful code of conduct for travelling and presented a negative picture of the incident to fulfil their nefarious designs.
“The news about the incident on social media is fake, false, fabricated and with no verifiable facts,” the communique said.