—Dawn
MANSEHRA: A multi-storey hotel, stated to be the pioneer of luxury inns in the Kaghan Valley, was gutted along with ten adjacent shops when a heavy blaze broke out in the early hours of Thursday in Naran.
“The firefighters, after hectic efforts of several hours, finally put out the fire which engulfed the entire three-storey building, with flames shooting into the sky owing to the extensive use of high-quality wood,” Ibrar Ali, the district emergency officer, Rescue 1122, told reporters.
He said fire-tenders and firefighters of his agency and the Kaghan Development Authority rushed to the scene shortly after the blaze erupted at the Lalazar Hotel at around 5:00 am. “No loss of life has been reported, as the facility was already closed to visitors for the winter season and only staff members were residing there, who were safely rescued by our teams,” Mr Ali said.
The district emergency officer added that the fire, caused by unknown reasons, ripped through the entire building and the surrounding market. “Windows and doors of an adjacent hotel were also partially burnt, but the overall situation was brought under control by the firefighters,” he said.
10 shops, two godowns also reduced to ashes
He further stated that the excessive use of Deodar and Bayar, the high-quality timber found in the valley, fuelled the blaze, causing the entire multistory building and nearby shops to burn down completely.
The tehsil chairman Balakot, Syed Ibrahim Ahmad, owner of the gutted hotel and adjoining shops, said the cause of the blaze was yet to be determined. “This multi-storey hotel, built in 1970, was the first luxurious facility in Naran, the commercial hub of the Kaghan Valley,” he recalled.
He said ten shops and two mega godowns located beside the hotel were also reduced to ashes. The police have registered an FIR and begun an investigation to ascertain the cause of the fire.
PRE-ARREST BAIL: The only court that deals with cyber crimes in Hazara division has confirmed the pre-arrest bail of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F leader Mufti Kifayatullah in a case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 over his speech at the multi-party conference in the federal capital earlier this year.
“The court, after hearing both sides, confirmed the pre-arrest bail of Mufti Kifayatullah,” advocate Yaser Huda Swati, who represented the JUI-F leader, told reporters here on Thursday.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, Hazara Circle, had booked Mr Kifayatullah under Sections 20 and 26 of PECA 2 for alleged anti-state remarks during a multi-party conference held in Islamabad on July 30, 2025.
Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2025
