Fact-check: No ban on bachelors entering Murree, restriction applies only to Mall Road

Facebook posts claim that there has been an official ban on unmarried men entering Murree, Punjab’s hilly resort city, till May 31.

The claim is misleading. Bachelors are allowed in the city; they are only restricted for the month from entering the popular tourist location, Mall Road in Murree.

Claim

A Facebook post alleges that Section 144 has been imposed in the city of Murree ahead of Eid. It adds that on Murree’s popular Mall Road, only families will be allowed and that bachelors have been banned from entering the city till May 31.

Similar claims have been shared elsewhere on Facebook too.

Fact

There is no ban on unmarried men entering the city of Murree. However, officials confirmed that groups of men or men visiting alone without families will face restrictions on entering Mall Road in Murree.

Kamran Saghir, the additional Deputy Commissioner (general) in Murree, told Geo Fact Check over the phone that Section 144 has been imposed till May 31, under which bachelors will be stopped from entering Mall Road.

“Only families are allowed within the vicinity of Mall Road, while visitors can go anywhere else in Murree,” he added.

The Deputy Commissioner Murree’s Facebook account also shared the official notification issued on May 20. The notification states that the district police in Murree recommended that only families be allowed on Mall Road in order to facilitate tourists.

Verdict: The claim is misleading. There is no ban on unmarried men entering Murree city. The restriction applies only to Mall Road, where authorities have limited access to families under Section 144.

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