Boating feuds hit tourism at Khanpur Dam

The tourism activities at Khanpur Dam have almost come to a standstill owing to boating and tax collection disputes. The deteriorating law and order situation in the country, especially in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), is also adding insult to injury.

Khanpur Dam, located behind the Margalla Hills in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, is the only recreational spot in terms of water sports.

Thousands of people including children and elderly people usually come to this recreational facility to enjoy Dubai-like water sports such as parasailing, jet skiing, and banana boating.

However, tourists are often seen complaining about the behaviour of the boat owners, the law and order situation and lack of the government interest.

A couple of days ago, several people were injured in a scuffle between two boat owners. The Khanpur Assistant Commissioner (AC) completely sealed the recreational spot following the instructions of the Deputy Commissioner (DC).

The AC told The Express Tribune that action has been taken due to frequent quarrels between boat owners and the complaints of misbehaviour with tourists. "Soon the culprits will be identified and arrested and the resort will be reopened for tourists," the AC added. The boat owners' stance, on the other hand, is contradictory to that of the Khanpur AC.

On the one hand, a global journal ranks Pakistan third in terms of the worst law and order but on the other, the situation inside Pakistan is different as not only local tourists but also international tourists are now visiting Pakistani sites.

Pakistan has been irreparably damaged by terrorism for the last two decades. More than 70,000 Pakistanis including members of the Pakistan Armed Forces and civilians were martyred due to terrorism since General Pervez Musharraf's regime.

Despite this, each successive government launched various projects to attract local and foreign tourists to the country.