PESHAWAR: Advocate Ahmad Ali was unanimously elected as the new chairman of the Kalash Valleys Development Authority (KVDA) at its 11th board meeting held at the Tourism Secretariat in Peshawar on Saturday.
The meeting was attended by the director of Culture and Tourism Authority, the deputy commissioner of Chitral Lower, and other board members.
Participants paid tribute to outgoing KVDA chairman Shahzada Maqsoodul Mulk for his valuable contributions to the development and effective functioning of the authority. He was praised for his efforts in promoting the Kalash culture and supporting sustainable tourism.
KVDA was established in 2019 by the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the Tourism Act to preserve the unique culture of the Kalash community, promote tourism, and improve infrastructure in the valleys.
The authority was formally approved in October 2020, and its governing body comprises 12 members, including eight government officials and four private sector experts.
The recent meeting was also attended by former Chitral tehsil nazim Sartaj Ahmad Khan, Minority Affairs Focal Person Wazir Zada, former District Council member Abdul Majeed Qureshi and CEO of Chitral Travel Bureau Syed Harir Shah.
Tourism stakeholders from Chitral have expressed the hope that the new vhairman will take bold steps to boost tourism in the Kalash Valleys. They emphasized the need to prioritize road development and communication infrastructure, which are critical to the region’s tourism potential.