PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi inaugurated the state-of-the-art Abbottabad Park on Saturday. The park has been developed over an area of 702 kanal at Shimla Hill.
The Chief Minister was briefed that the Abbottabad Park features 30 environmentally friendly baradaris and a 365-metre-long zipline.
The park has a total of 13,000 trees, including 6,000 newly planted trees, while no trees were felled or otherwise damaged during its construction.
The park also includes a dedicated play area for children and a cricket ground, along with six walking tracks for the public. Separate mosques have been constructed for men and women.
A large restaurant and cafeteria have also been established to facilitate visitors, while three parking areas provide capacity for 250 vehicles.
Provincial Minister for Local Government Meena Khan Afridi, MNA Ali Khan Jadoon, and MPAs Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani and Iftikhar Ahmad Khan were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi described the park as a gift to the people of Abbottabad from the government of Imran Khan. He also paid tribute to the people of Abbottabad for standing by Imran Khan and voting for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The Chief Minister announced that Rs. 200 billion had been allocated under the Khushal Hazara Programme, including Rs. 150 billion for development projects and Rs. 50 billion for the promotion of tourism across Hazara Division.
He observed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been endowed with exceptional natural beauty and attracted visitors from across the world, underscoring the significant potential for further developing tourism in Hazara Division.
Speaking about Abbottabad’s urban infrastructure challenges, the Chief Minister said that Rs. 1.4 billion had been allocated for a permanent solution to the problem of urban flooding in the city.
Regarding DHQ Hospital Abbottabad, the Chief Minister said that funds had already been allocated for the project and that additional funding would also be provided.
On the request of Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, he announced that the DHQ Hospital Abbottabad project would be included in the provincial flagship programme.
Referring to 27 September, Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi said that the people of Abbottabad had consistently participated in every protest and would once again participate in large numbers in the protest scheduled for 27 September. He declared that 27 September would be a day to change the course of Pakistan’s destiny.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026