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| PM Imran Khan is in public in Skardu |
In a public gathering in Skardu, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the international status of Skardu Airport would boost tourism and it would be time for people to come here in search of jobs. He was of view that no country can develop unless it develops its own people. As soon as I took over the government, my first attempt was to develop the backward areas of Pakistan.
Referring to the beauty of Pakistan, he said that you should know that Gilgit is the most beautiful mountainous region in the world. Baltistan, people did not come here due to lack of air travel facilities. Switzerland is earning 70 billion dollars from tourism, although Switzerland is much smaller than Gilgit Baltistan, Gilgit Baltistan annually can earn forty to fifty billion rupees. There is no any ambiguity taht billions of dollars can be earned from the promotion of tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan but the steps taken for the promotion of tourism here are almost non-existent. Imran Khan has repeatedly mentioned the beauty and tourism of Gilgit-Baltistan but the encouraging priority measures could not be taken even after three and a half years. It is as if the problems continue to be stated but no decisive and fruitful progress has been made to solve them. It is true that Skardu Airport will get world class status, but it is not enough. Tourism is now called an industry in the world, tourism in every country in the world. Has a ministry and governments try to develop the tourism sector in their country as much as possible because many countries of the world earn billions of dollars annually from this industry but in today's world when this world is so-called global village where millions of people from other countries visit every year. As hosts, these foreign tourists have such a good effect that their country has a good reputation all over the world. Agencies or institutions have been set up for the promotion and improvement of various sectors such as, education, environment, etc., as well as to improve and promote the world standard of tourism. During his speech, PM appreciated the former PM zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s constructive steps for the promotion of tourism. During his time he focused on Taxila, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. It was during his time that the French archaeologist started work on the world's oldest archeological site in Balochistan and after excavation near Dhadar and Sibi about ten thousand years discovered the remains of ancient human civilization. He paid special attention to the renovation of historical buildings. Due to these initiatives, the tourism sector in Pakistan developed a lot in the seventies but then we have the tourism industry.
Unfortunately, there was a decline and destruction, partly because the new government did not pay attention to the sector, partly because the Soviet Union intervened militarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan became a frontline country in the war. Unfortunately, after the war in Afghanistan, civil war broke out and after 9/11, the situation became very critical and it caused unimaginable damage to Pakistan in the field of other economic and social sectors, it also damaged the tourism industry of Pakistan. No work has been done at the government level for the development of Pakistan. The PTI, which came to power after the 2018 elections, gave priority to Pakistan's tourism industry in its development programs. Prime Minister Imran Khan himself is fond of tourism and recreation and as an international cricketer he has visited places of entertainment all over the world as well as beautiful and recreational places of Pakistan especially the northern areas of Swat, Gilgit Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir. Where the majority of tourists have never been, they know full well that Pakistan has five peaks, including K2, the second highest of the fourteen highest peaks of more than 8,000 meters in the world, as well as all the major glaciers in the world. North of Pakistan is home to some of the most beautiful areas in the world where the natural beauty of summer is very pleasant. The shining realities of human civilization are of interest to people all over the world and at the same time are of religious significance to the 566 million followers of Buddhism around the world. There are many temples for individuals. There are 23 million Sikhs worldwide, most of whose holy places of worship are located in Pakistan and the government of Pakistan has opened the religious site of Kartarpura for Sikhs at the long wish of the Sikh community. There is a great deal of interest in archeology in relation to ancient human civilizations and in Pakistan from five and a half thousand years to ten thousand years. There are three world famous archeological sites around the year. Thus, in Pakistan, all the things that are necessary for the tourism industry in a country are present in a very standard way, but our tourism industry has not yet achieved the position it should have. The federal government took an important step in 2019 to promote tourism and announced a new visa policy in the country in which the government lifted unnecessary visa restrictions and also reduced visa fees. According to the new visa policy, visa facilities have been increased for 175 countries. Fifty countries have been declared visa free. Similarly, the government's policy for religious tourist visas is now so generous that if any foreigner wants to come to Pakistan on religious grounds, he can get a 45-day visa immediately more easily than in the past. Such a person will be able to avail this facility thrice a year on religious grounds. This visa policy was a fundamental and important step in this regard. Although the government at the time intended to set up tourism development projects in Pakistan, its revenue targets are that by 2025, Pakistan will be able to earn 1 trillion from its tourism industry. Seven billion dollars were earned from the tourism industry, but Corona appeared in China at the end of 2019 and a few days later Corona spread all over the world, due to which the whole world faced a severe recession. Corona's epidemic has hit the tourism industry hard, with many airlines shutting down. The hotel industry had also suffered locally. Pakistan is one country that has been controlled and the government's smart lockdown policy has not only been successful but has been praised around the world.
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