Achievement stories are very rare in Pakistan, but business
is booming in one of the tourist spots of Kashmir as the region
is rebuilding after a devastating earthquake and moves off links with violence.
is rebuilding after a devastating earthquake and moves off links with violence.
Numerous local tourists attracted to the breathtaking lakes
and glaciers of the Neelum valley are investing money to see this place which
is much needed in the poorest part of the country.
International tourists from west have stopped coming to the
Himalayas of Pakistani-Kashmir long before.
However with a new road built by the Chinese after the 2005
earthquake killed 73,000 people and a ceasefire holding with India, have
encouraged locals to discover the snow covered peaks, glaciers, lakes and lush
green fields of the valley.
Locally known as ‘Paradise on Earth,’ Neelum valley is 114
km east of the base camp where gunmen shot dead American, Chinese, Lithuanian,
Slovakian and Ukranian climbers in June.
This incidence was the worst attack on foreigners in
Pakistan in a decade.
Mohammad Amir, a lawyer on holiday with his family from
southern Punjab, said, ”There is a bit of fear there, but overall we are
enjoying ourselves and we will stay according to our plan”.
Munazza Tariq, a university student from Karachi, agrees
with the fact and says, “This was carried out by enemies of Pakistan. After it
happened, we received several calls from our relatives from Karachi, but we are
safe and enjoying ourselves”.
Local tourism ministry official Shehla Waqar says Neelum
valley is booming in tourism. She said, “There is a growth in tourists in the
area because we have a very beautiful road from Muzaffarabad to Neelum Valley”.
She also said that Taliban attacks in the northwest region
and the crippling power cuts are also the reasons for the local people visiting
this place.
Local deputy commissioner Mohammad Farid told AFP that
compared to none in 2010, Neelum Valley has 115 registered guest houses right
now.
The authorities claim that they have stepped up security
after the killing of the climbers in Gilgit-Baltistan, but as the visitors in
Kashmir are locals, they are not much serious about the effect.
Mohammad Farid also added, “No doubt this incident has
hampered international tourism in Pakistan, but it won’t affect Kashmir because
we host domestic tourists”.
Raja Zarat Khan, who owns a private guest house claimed that
he was fully booked into the coming next week and had no cancellations.
Mohammad Awais, who runs a restaurant and a string of guest
houses, has also started taking tour groups to Neelum Valley.
He stated, “This business has changed my life. Last year I
did excellent trade because I gave tourists various incentives like, hiking,
trekking, fishing and boating. The environment in Neelum Valley is very good.
Once you enter the valley, no one wants to leave”.
The boom in tourism is welcomed in the valley where many men
have traditionally left behind their families to work in Pakistan’s big cities.
Awais has also hired men to work as cleaners, cooks, drivers
and tourist guides. These men would have been unemployed otherwise.
Suppliers have also benefited because of this boom as well
as the villagers who sell their freshly grown cherries, apricots and plums to
the visitors.
Still, there are people who are unsatisfied and claim that
much is needed to be done to sustain the boom across the other parts of
Kashmir.
Khawaja Abdul Samad, who is thinking about opening his own
hotel, said, “There are other beautiful places in our region, but because of
poor roads tourists can’t reach to these areas”.
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