Noor Khan Bakhrani Tangwani
Kohe Murree, the most famous tourist resort of Pakistan, has always been focus of tourists through out twelve months of the year. Kohe Murree is also the most rainiest place in Pakistan. Intermittent rains through out the year add to the beauty and charm of the sight and weather persistently remains lovely and very pleasant here, which attracts tourists to visit the paradise like spots located in Murree. On early Friday hundreds of thousands tourists land in Murree and rush to the hill resort to enjoy snowfall of the season. The colourful and beautiful scenery, pleasant and lovely weather, lush green and tall trees, high snow clad mountains and winding roads, ups and down turns fascinate the tourists to a great deal. Adventurous roads, enchanting picnic spots like Nathiagali, Galiyat, Mall road, GPO road, new Murree, Kashmir point, Bandar point and Ayubia draw the attention of people to visit the site in all conditions round the clock. Although the summer season is one of the most favourite and ideal seasons for most of the visitors, yet the beginning of winter season the site is often visited to enjoy the first fall of the season with families and dear and near ones to make their trip memorable and so special. The recent unprecedented rainy spell of winter season which unexpectedly turned into severe snowfall have proved dreadful for many visitors. Due to rough and uncertain chill weather conditions of Murree, hundreds of tourists remained stranded in cars struck on plight roads. The narrow roads blocked by landsliding and heavy snow storm claimed precious lives. The roads were chocked due to falling of heavy snow in the hilly areas which caused blocking of vehicular traffic in Murree. Resultantly, on Saturday 8th of January 2022, an untoward and tragic incident happened in which 22 casualties were reported on social media. According to the reports collected so far more than 22 people including children and women were frozen to death as their vehicles trapped in five to six feet snow fall and temperature falls to minus 5-10 degree centigrade recorded on early Friday. The ill-fated tourists who succumbed to death belong to Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Mardan, Gujranwala and Karachi. The victims’ families were of the view that poor performance of Punjab Traffic Police, negligence and poor arrangements made by local district administration are major causes of casualties. Shahbaz Sharif, opposition leader, and President of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) vehemently criticised federal and provincial government and hold the local administration responsible for tragic incident. He went on to say that why administration could not ensure the smooth flow of transportation and did not take immediate rescue and relief measures to save precious lives? The grass negligence displayed by authorities and tourism department was noticed as they failed to make proper arrangements for accommodation and smooth traffic flow leading to Murree. The intellectual also raised questions regarding carelessness and mishandling the influx of tourists thronged in Murree. On one-side the federal government is making very tall and hollow claims that this govt is serious to promote tourism in the country but on the other-hand the tourists coming from every nook and corner of the country are left in lurch and helpless at the mercy of extreme weather. Where are rescue teams to assist the trapped people who have been stranded in extreme weather? and why proper guidance and warning was not given to the visitors in advance to avert life risks and threats of rain and severe snow fall on hill tops? Unfortunately, the lives of our own countrymen could not be saved by corrupt and incompetent incumbent ruling party of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government then how Niazi govt claims to prefer investment and promote tourism sector to attract foreign tourists to come in Pakistan and earn foreign money to make the economy stable. Our deepest sympathies and condolences go to the berieved families over the loss of lives and we demand that either govt should facilitate the tourists or put ban on those adventurous hill resorts and apprise the visitors coming from outside to avoid from heading to such excursion points and ask them to be careful enough while intending to move to upper northern mountainous parts of the country specially in winters when extreme weather forecast is being warned.
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