Abandoning Tourism.

Amidst political instability, ill-thought out visa policies, inefficient proce dures and safety concerns born out of the re-emergence of terror threats in north Pakistan, the tourism industry has experienced a major hit.: Thousands of international travellers flooded popular tourist destinations this time last year but this season, not a single group or expedition arrived due to the perception of what Pakistan is like being created. The tourism industry was a source of pride for us and to see it wither away would be an injustice not only to the people but to the land as well.

Pakistan has been fortunate enough to host some of the world's most prestigious tourist sites, including the second-largest mountain of the world, K2, as well as the Nanga Parbat. These two mountains are single-handedly responsible for thousands of travellers who cross the border and embark upon mountain expeditions-contributing to state revenue and the economy as a result. Gilgit-Baltistan alone saw 1600 climbers last year, in comparison to a dismal zero this year.

This winter season only two expedition groups applied for visas to summit the Nanga Parbat but countless delays forced them to cancel their plans. The problem lies in the structural inefficiency that we have shown; visas for international travellers should be processed on a priority basis, especially when their window of opportunity to summit a...

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