At the concluding ceremony of the winter games Snow Festival, which attracted more than 8,000 tourists, Operation Commander Major General Ghulam Qamar vowed to get the motel up and running by 2014. He said that the motel’s chairlift service, skiing platforms and ice-skating rinks will also be revived and the motel will once again be made a cherished tourist attraction of Swat.
Swat Hotel Association President Zahid Khan told The Express Tribune that the motel was a “generous utility” provided by the Austrian government and served as a symbol of Pak-Austrian friendship.
The pearl-white motel established at the scenic snowy peaks of Malam Jabba enhanced its charm, said Khan. The motel attracted substantial number of tourists, both local and foreign, every winter and served to foster business in the area. But all that changed after the terrorist attack in June 2008.
Nausherawan, a staff coordinator of the PTDC Motel, said that the four-story building housed 35 rooms equipped with modern facilities, a chair left service, skiing platforms and ice-skating rinks. He said that after the attack, the motel’s 65-member staff was dispersed. Most of them are still without jobs, he added.
Swat District Coordination Officer Kamran Rehman promised to take “solid steps” for reconstruction of the motel and the chairlifts. He said the provincial government is in contact with many donor agencies to complete this project before time.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 12th, 2012.
COMMENTS (3)
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New contracts fo jialia,love it,man.
Yeah construct new building, Pakistan Army Zindabad
Just find a way to make it bomb proof. The finished product would be a symbol they'd love to get their hands on and destroy.