Pakistan to ‘revamp’ Murree district administration, introduce new laws after 22 deaths at resort

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.