SWAT: The residents of Swat here on Tuesday expressed concerns over government’s decision to transfer entire staff of tourism police from the district to Peshawar.

Led by Azharuddin, Abid Ali Jan, Suleman Khan, Amjad Ali, Saad Ali Khan and others, who work for promoting tourism in Swat, locals including civil society members criticised the decision of government.

They said that Swat was one of the top tourist destinations in the country. They said that tourists flocked to Swat not only from across Pakistan but also from foreign countries.

They stated that it was not only surprising but also shocking for them that, instead of providing more facilities to tourists, the provincial government decided to transfer tourism police from the district.

Official says services of tourism police to be utilised in Galiyat and Kaghan

“We not only condemn the provincial government’s decision to transfer tourism police from Swat, but we also see it as a deliberate act to undermine tourism in the region,” they said.

They said that Swat was consistently ranked at the top in terms of the number of tourists visiting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa each year. Therefore, the presence of tourism police in Swat was essential, they added.

“During the three days of Eidul Azha about 300,000 tourists visited Swat from across the country,” they said. They added that to manage such a large influx of tourists, regular police force needed specialised support to facilitate tourists on the roads and at resorts.

“We will soon convene a meeting with different stakeholders in the tourism sector of Swat and plan a protest against this decision,” they threatened.

Mohammad Saleem Khan, the district president of Pakistan Peoples Party, said that he had an emergency meeting with governor and informed him about the transfer of tourism police from Swat. “Governor Faisal Karim Kundi assured me that he would personally intervene to reverse the decision,” he said.

A senior official of tourism department in Peshawar, when contacted, said that since tourism season in Swat and Upper Dir ended therefore the services of tourism police would be utilised in Galiyat and Kaghan valleys where tourists were still present.

He said tourism police just guided and provided first aid to tourists in case of any emergency.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2024