KP Tourist Helpline 1422 and Tourism Police

The KP tourist helpline is 1422, a toll-free, round-the-clock number run by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority for anyone travelling in the province. Dial it from any phone for information on a tourist spot, the weather and road conditions ahead, help when you are stranded, or to make a complaint. It is not an ambulance or fire number: for a medical emergency or accident, call Rescue 1122.

Knowing which number to call, and what each service does, saves time when it matters. This guide covers the helpline, the separate Tourism Police force, the other numbers to save, and how they work together in places like Naran, Swat and the Galiyat.

What does 1422 actually do?

The tourism authority announced 1422 as a "Tourist Facilitation Hub" in January 2021, first on a test basis, and by August 2021 described it as running seven days a week, around the clock. The company that built its systems says the hub was set up in 2020. According to that company's 2023 account, it had by then handled more than 55,000 calls, over 2,000 of them from foreign tourists, and dealt with more than 312 high-risk emergency cases, including helping 22 tourists stranded by the 2022 floods in Kumrat valley.

Calling it gets you:

• information about tourist spots and nearby attractions;
• weather forecasts and travel advisories for your destination;
• what facilities and services are available at a site;
• guidance in an emergency, with the hub passing the case to the right agency;
• a channel to report a problem, a scam or a complaint about a hotel or service.

The hub draws its information from the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the National Highways and Motorway Police, the KP Tourism Police, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and local officials, which is why it can be more current than a website or a week-old social media post.

Tourism Police: who they are and what they do

Tourism Police is a uniformed force set up specifically to look after visitors, working as a special wing of the culture and tourism authority rather than as regular traffic or criminal police. Its legal basis is the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Act, passed in September 2019. About 180 recruits received their uniforms in June 2022, and the first deployments were in Swat, Chitral, Abbottabad and Mansehra. Personnel serve on renewable three-year contracts.

Their job on the ground includes:

• keeping traffic moving at busy junctions and bazaars, especially over Eid and long weekends;
• helping tourists who are lost, overcharged or unsure where to go;
• safety guidance at riverbanks, lakes and viewpoints;
• working alongside Rescue 1122, district administrations and local police when something goes wrong.

The July 2026 floods showed what that means in practice. APP reported that all 153 Tourism Police personnel were mobilised to the flood-hit districts, helping to evacuate stranded tourists and residents in Kaghan, Siran and Balakot in Mansehra district and in upper Swat, where visitors were cut off near Mahodand lake. The force's deputy commandant urged tourists in trouble anywhere in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to call 1422.

If you see a Tourism Police officer at a site, they are there to help visitors, and are a good first contact for a local problem that is not an emergency.

When to call 1122, 15 or 130 instead

Rescue 1122 is the province's emergency service for genuine emergencies: a road accident, a medical crisis, a fire, or someone in danger in a river. It is separate from the tourism helpline and reachable on 1122 across the province. Call 15 for a crime or a police emergency. On motorways and national highways, the National Highways and Motorway Police answer on 130 and broadcast road information on FM 95.

The distinction that matters for a family on the road:

Our Rescue 1122 for tourists guide explains how that service works, and emergency numbers for the northern areas covers Gilgit-Baltistan too.

When it is worth calling ahead

Calling 1422 before you set out is most useful for:

• checking whether a road or pass is open, since conditions change fast in the hills;
• asking about weather at your destination before a long drive, especially in the monsoon;
• confirming what is open at a site out of season.

The company behind the hub lists help with booking and lodging among its services, but treat 1422 as a source of information and help rather than a travel agent, and book hotels and transport yourself. For planning the trip itself, our travel guide covers seasons, road conditions and what to carry across the north, and our Kaghan monsoon safety guide covers the riskiest months.

Practical tips

• Save the numbers before you leave, along with your hotel's number, since signal drops in many valleys and you may have only a brief window to call.
• Give your location precisely: the nearest village, landmark or kilometre marker, not just the valley name.
• Keep your phone charged with a power bank on long drive days.
• In a flood or landslide, stay put if you are safe and wait for instructions, rather than trying to drive through.

Is it safe to travel in KP?

Some of the province's main tourist areas, including Naran and Kaghan, Nathia Gali and the Galiyat, see large numbers of Pakistani families every year, and the helpline and Tourism Police are part of a real effort to make those trips straightforward. But as of September 2026 the UK government advises against all travel to Swat, Upper and Lower Dir, the Kalash valleys and several other districts, after attacks including the 2 August 2026 bombing at the Kabal police station in Swat that killed 17. It also advises against all travel on the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas. Check current news and local police advice for your route before you leave, and do not treat an official advisory as something to work around.

Frequently asked questions