Tourism ministry against privatisation

SIALKOT: Minister for Tourism Maulana Attaur Rehman on Thursday requested the government to withdraw 26 motels and hotels form the list of privatisation which, he said, may incur huge losses to the national exchequer.

Replying to a calling attention notice, the tourism minister said that the current government in no way supports privatisation.

“The previous government had privatised Faletti’s Hotel of Lahore, Murree’s Cecil Hotel and Peshawar’s Dean Hotel against just Rs1.12 billion, Rs170 million and Rs360 million respectively,” he informed the House.

Attaur Rehman said the previous government had put 26 assets of the tourism ministry on the privatisation list in 2007, what would be strongly opposed by the ministry.

The minister said an inquiry has been initiated into the privatization of the said units.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2010.