Let’s make use of these beautiful spots!

Pakistan has many pretty spots dotted all over the countryside that can be turned into attractive sites for domestic tourists to visit, either because they are attracted by their physical features or because they want to spend some time in the peaceful surroundings.

Many people, who live in urban areas where a concrete jungle is the only ‘jungle’ that can be seen for miles on end, like to get away for a while and drive to greener areas to spend a few hours soaking in the soothing sight of trees and grass.

Some of these areas can be turned into camping sites with facilities like a levelled piece of land to set up a tent, toilets, water for drinking as well as its usage for other purposes, and an outlet to buy essential items that might be needed in case they have not been brought along by the campers. These camping sites can be handed over to private entrepreneurs to run on their own terms and expertise, as anything run by the government eventually becomes a victim of neglect because of a ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude by the caretakers.

Where camping sites are not viable, these pretty places can be turned into clean and safe picnic spots that do not require too much effort or spending of huge amounts of money. A few benches and tables made of concrete - so that they are not stolen by thieves and drug addicts - with grass and bushes trimmed and kept that way, and you will have an attractive place for those who want to enjoy a picnic in peace. There are many such sites in Virginia and on weekends, where you can usually see many people out enjoying the fresh air in spite of the fact that most houses over there have a lot of greenery. They look for a change of scenery rather than a change from looking at the stone and bricks of a concrete jungle!

The site in the picture is located outside the limits of Rawalpindi city but within its district, just off the main highway, and like many similar spots to be found all over, its banyan tree is what draws your attention from a distance. These trees are hundreds of years old and can still be found outside the pale of developed areas where they have been chopped down to give way to highways and motorways. It’s a quiet place but has some garbage lying around, probably dumped by civic authority dumpsters, which is annoying but can be remedied if the spot is taken care of.