Not too long ago, Abbottabad was considered peaceful; the picturesque landscape with lesser noise pollution, a perfect place to visit for a short-trip. Also known as the ‘City of Pines’, Abbottabad was surely famous for its scenic beauty which did not only attract tourists from the country but from around the world!—and mind you, it is still attractive even today. Indeed, it was—or perhaps is—the most beautiful starting point to explore the ‘Northern Areas’ of the country, the gemstones of natural beauty in Pakistan.
However, the question arises: why is Abbottabad, after a span of only a few years, too dull and grey now?
A number of factors have destroyed its splendor and magnificence. However, I would like to emphasize what disturbed Abbottabad immensely, i.e. the sudden growth of tourists, and with that a lot of noise pollution. A beginning pathway to the Northern Areas of Pakistan, Abbottabad is often filled with dozens of cars, tourists and adventurers of all kinds; it is seldom empty. Due to this congestion of space, numerous cars circulating around the entire region, and the noise disturbances created by the people, Abbottabad is no more a peaceful place, unfortunately, in comparison to not that long ago.
Abdul Raza, a native of the region in his mid-fifties, was reported to have said in a rather pitiful tone: “Abbottabad is no more glamorous; its splendor has come to a decline ever since commercial activities have begun. An unfortunate fact about humanity is how it destroys places—like ours in order to benefit for a short period of time; it is indeed a pity.”
Other than Abdul Raza, countless other people had the same emotional cry, and urged the respective authorities to safeguard not only Abbottabad, but also other such places. In my opinion, even though humanity intends to prosper, it is actually adversely affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, sadly. Hence, we as a nation must stand together to protect these places from crisis!