Exercises at the popular ski resort Malam Jabba have been postponed frequently
owing to court orders that have prevented its supervision from charging entrance
fees. The news was highlighted on Twitter by the Personal Assistant to the Prime
Minister on Overseas Pakistanis, Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, who said that it was
“unhappy to see one of our best resorts close down at the peak of tourism season.
This defeats many people’s plans just days away from #Ramzan. the last thing
Pakistan’s booming tourism business needs right now is disruptiveness”.
According to the company that oversees the administration of the charming ski
resort, local mafias had been visiting the area and intimidating and deceiving
on-station company officials to force them to take their business away. Note that
this company has already spent more than Rs. 300 crore on services like chairlifts,
ziplining and skiing for tourists and locals. It currently has at least 500 workers on
its payment whose jobs are at risk due to the closure.
The resort had experienced a similar situation when terrorists had wreaked havoc in
the area, after which it was revived in 2014 through investments worth billions.
Pakistan’s longest zipline, skiing tracks, and numerous other buildings had been
created for tourists and the general public at the resort during that period.
