After heavy snowfall blocked roads leading to Murree, the district administration has partially reopened entry points to manage traffic and ensure safety.
Authorities said access to the hill station will be allowed in stages for local residents and tourists while road clearance work continues.
A spokesperson for the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) also confirmed that the Murree Expressway was partially reopened on Saturday following improved weather conditions.
A complete power outage has persisted in Murree and the surrounding areas since last night, while road closures have severely impacted hotel businesses. The business community said that hotel bookings for the day have also been cancelled due to blocked roads.
The district administration has issued an alert advising the public to avoid unnecessary travel. Meanwhile, chemical spraying and snow clearance operations are underway on major roads.
During the snowfall, Deputy Commissioner Murree Agha Zaheer Abbas Shirazi, along with Rawalpindi Commissioner Aamir Khattak, Senior Provincial Minister Malik Sohaib Birt and DPO Murree Raza Tanveer Sappra, visited the Murree Motorway at Masiari. The visit aimed to review facilities for tourists and administrative arrangements.
Heads of various district departments were also present. Special emphasis was placed on tourist guidance, parking arrangements, traffic control and availability of emergency services. Relevant departments were directed to keep machinery operational at all times on main highways, link roads and tourist spots to ensure uninterrupted traffic flow and provision of maximum facilities to tourists.
Snowfall that began last night continued throughout the day for the second consecutive day, covering Murree and the Galiyat valleys with a thick white blanket. Around two feet of snow was recorded in Murree, while snowfall in Galiyat exceeded three feet.
Although roads within Murree were cleared and opened for traffic, the Islamabad–Murree Expressway and Rawalpindi–Murree GT Road were completely closed for tourist entry at the 17 Mile point.
Hundreds of vehicles, including those of locals, were stopped at the toll plaza, causing severe inconvenience.