A food vendor sells expired food in between its regular food. This goes on for years. People consume expired food but they somehow get away with it. This continues for years but one day the expired food results in an illness among people. And, as a result, which was bound to happen sooner or later, a couple of consumers died while few suffered extreme illness. Some blamed people for eating expired food while some blamed the food vendor. A few blamed those responsible for food security.
As winter vacations started, news started to make rounds that thousands of tourists had reached Murree to enjoy the snowfall. For example, a newspaper reported on December 28 that 50,000 vehicles had already entered Murree. The large influx of tourists continued to build up as more than 150,000 vehicles reached Murree in the next couple of days. Tourists flocked to Murree in large numbers to enjoy the predicted snowfall.
This was not the first time tourists reached Murree in such large numbers. Similarly, Murree is not the only destination to be thronged by a large influx of tourists.
On Eid-ul-Adha 2021, more than 145,000 vehicles travelled to Murree hill station. It is pertinent to mention here that the parking capacity in Murree is only for 4000 vehicles. Similarly, 0.7 million vehicles entered Kaghan valley this Eid-ul-Azha.
This resulted in massive traffic jams, road blockades, overpriced goods and hotel rooms, and an increase in the time required to reach the destination, hence creating problems for the tourists.
In an unfortunate incident this winter, 23 tourists died trapped in their cars as a result of a massive snowfall. The tourists who lost their lives were among those stranded on the road due to heavy snow.
Pakistan has immense tourism potential but this potential is yet to be utilised. The PTI government and the Prime Minister consider tourism a great source of revenue for the country. But, if the government plans to utilize this potential it has to find the loopholes and try to fix them.
The opposition criticised and blamed the government for criminal negligence. It demanded the formation of a Judicial Commission to investigate the incident and identify those responsible for the incident. Also, it called for the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Punjab chief minister.
The administration was considered responsible for the mishandling of the situation and blamed for negligence. Around 1,000 cars remained stuck on the road the night of the incident and it was expected of the administration to be more responsive, vigilant and ready for any unexpected situation.
The initial findings of the five-member Investigative Committee set up as a response to the incident also revealed administrative flaws in dealing with the situation.
People who were stuck in snow blamed the hotels for overcharging at the time when they were hapless and in need of help. Some hotels ripped off the tourists taking advantage of the situation and charged around Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 for a night’s stay.
But, here it is important to mention the contribution and efforts of those local people and hotels who did their bit and provided food, shelter and help at the time of need.
Now, when we consider the other side of the picture it was different. The tourists were enjoying their time in the snow. Social media was flooded with videos and pictures of tourists enjoying the atmosphere.
Let us imagine a tourist-to-be sitting in his home somewhere in the world who plans to visit Pakistan and enjoy the picturesque valleys, hill stations and destinations.
He watched both types of videos and also heard about the news of administrative negligence and hotels overcharging the tourists.
Will he continue with his plan? Or will his reservations overcome his decision?
The Murree incident not only resulted in the loss of 23 precious lives but also exposed loopholes in the current tourism promotion strategy.
Having said that, what went wrong in Murree? Is it the administration’s flaw? Are tourists responsible? Are the hotels that overcharged and forced the tourists to stay in their cars responsible?
Other than all factors involved the most important aspect that led to this incident is the lack of proper planning. The understanding that prevails in different policies and decisions is “wait and watch until something happens”.
Let us consider an example of a village or a town in a city. People will carry on building their homes above the common pathway. No one would stop them. And when the rain would fall, the pathway would sink under the water resulting in road cracks over time.
Who should be considered responsible? Had there been an effective policy, had that first-person stopped from building the house above the defined permission, the situation would have been different. The inconsistent policy and administrative weakness created the problem.
Coming back to the Murree incident, the tourists were travelling there in large numbers, traffic jams were normal, there were usual incidents of hotels overcharging or harassing the tourists, and lack of health and infrastructure facilities were reported in many areas. But, the attention is diverted to Murree only after the incident.
We often hear about adverse facilities at various scenic spots where any incident could take place at any time. But will it take another incident to divert the attention of the policymakers?
Where promotion of tourism is important, management of tourism is equally important.
There is a lack of a Sustainable Tourism policy that would encompass all areas covering the promotion of tourism in the country for both local and international travellers.
Pakistan has immense tourism potential but this potential is yet to be utilised. The PTI government and the Prime Minister consider tourism a great source of revenue for the country. But, if the government plans to utilize this potential it has to find the loopholes and try to fix them.
Lastly, with all the sympathies with the deceased and their families, it is important to mention that it is the duty of a responsible citizen to adhere to the advice of the administration and the government. It was observed that despite the incident many people were still travelling to Murree.
