ISLAMABAD: The government will “revamp” Murree’s district administration and introduce new laws to facilitate tourists in the country, announced information minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Tuesday, after 22 people lost their lives at the popular hill station.
A large number of snow-tourists got trapped in their cars without adequate food or water during heavy snowfall in Murree last week, leading to several deaths in freezing temperatures.
Critics say the government could have prevented the tragedy if proper arrangements were made to keep a check on the number of tourists entering the mountain resort town.
“The government plans to make changes to the district administration of Murree,” Hussain said during a news conference. “We are also bringing about a new set of laws with an aim to revamp matters related to the district administration.”
He said the prime minister had observed during the federal cabinet meeting that provincial governments and district administrations should be ready for “domestic tourism revolution” that was taking place in Pakistan.
Hussain reiterated the significance of tourism for the economy, saying that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had developed 13 cities for tourism in the country.
“We have a medieval [tourism] system, one dating back to the British era,” he noted. “It is the PTI government that has developed 13 tourist spots across the country for the first time in over seven decades.”
The minister added that despite the tragedy in Murree, thousands of tourists were heading to other northern areas in the country.
“There is still a lot of tourism pressure in Naran, Kaghan and Kalam,” he said. “A lot of people have arrived in these areas. The Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments are keeping a close eye on the situation.”
Hussain said the tragic incident in Murree had made it imperative for Pakistan’s tourism officials to stay vigilant and prevent such incidents in the future.
He also called on relevant authorities to issue specific weather alerts and asked the media to broadcast them.
The minister said the Punjab government had formed an inquiry committee of senior officials to probe the incident to determine whether it was “preventable or not.”
“The inquiry committee will present its report within seven days,” he added.
He also commended the armed forces, Pakistan’s civil agencies and all relevant institutions for rescuing thousands of tourists stranded in Murree and clearing the blocked arteries of the resort within 24 hours.
Pakistan to ‘revamp’ Murree district administration, introduce new laws after 22 deaths at resort
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Pakistan to ‘revamp’ Murree district administration, introduce new laws after 22 deaths at resort
- The country’s information minister says Pakistan has a ‘medieval’ tourism system that dates back to the British era
- The prime minister has asked provincial and district administrations to prepare themselves for ‘domestic tourism revolution’
Pakistan plans Benghazi consulate, lending legitimacy to Libya’s eastern authorities
- Libya descended into turmoil after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled Muammar Qaddafi and has been divided into eastern, western authorities
- The UN-recognized government in Tripoli controls the west, while the Libyan National Army forces based in Benghazi hold the east and the south
KARACHI: Pakistan is in talks to open a consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, a move that could give a diplomatic boost to eastern authorities in their rivalry with Libya’s west.
Libya descended into turmoil after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled Muammar Qaddafi and has been divided into eastern and western authorities since a 2014 civil war. The UN-recognized government in Tripoli controls the west, while
Libyan National Army leader Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s forces based in Benghazi hold the east and south, including major oilfields.
Islamabad would be joining a small group of countries with a diplomatic presence in Benghazi. Haftar discussed the move with officials during an ongoing visit to Pakistan, the sources said.
Haftar met Pakistan’s army chief on Monday to discuss “professional cooperation,” the Pakistani military said. He was due to sit down with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday, the sources said, declining to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Pakistan’s prime minister’s office and foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
The LNA’s official media page said Haftar and his son Saddam met senior Pakistani army officials “within the framework of strengthening bilateral relations and opening up broader horizons for coordination in areas of common interest.” It did not give further details and Reuters could not immediately reach eastern Libyan authorities for comment.
Pakistan’s air force said in a statement that Saddam Khalifa Haftar met Air Chief Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu to discuss expanding defense cooperation, including joint training, with Islamabad reaffirming its support for the “capability development” of the Libyan air force. Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Benghazi in December, where he signed a multibillion-dollar defense deal with the LNA, previously reported by Reuters.
All three sources said the decision to open a consulate in Benghazi was linked to the $4 billion defense deal, one of Pakistan’s largest-ever arms sales.
Libya has been under a UN arms embargo since 2011, although UN experts have said it is ineffective. Pakistani officials involved in the December deal said it did not violate UN restrictions. Haftar has historically been an ally of the UAE, which supported him with air power and viewed him as a bulwark against extremists, while Pakistan — the only nuclear-armed Muslim-majority nation — signed a wide-ranging mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia late last year.
