A Pakistan Army-owned tourism corporation, Green Tourism Private Limited, is set to take over at least 17 motels of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and another 44 guest houses in Gilgit Baltistan. The hotels will be run by the military entity for 30 years and claim a 40 per cent share in their profits. Besides the hotels, the army-run Green Tourism will also take over two tracts of land meant for constructing new properties.
Green Tourism became a business entity only a fortnight before it got the bonanza from the caretaker government at the behest of the Pakistan Army.
In May this year, the government of Gilgit-Baltistan and Green Tourism Company signed an agreement for the promotion of tourism under which the army-run corporation will run 44 dilapidated government guest houses in the mountainous region.
This is yet another attempt by the army to take over civilian property for profit making. Several thousand acres worth billions of rupees were taken over last year by the army in the name of corporate farming. The army runs a conglomerate of profit-making businesses engaged in cornflakes to real estate.
The decision was taken in February this year, before the elections, on the directives of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), an investment advisory vehicle run by the Generals.
Official Documents show that 17 motels and two plots of land valued at more than 10.112 billion are located in Naran, Balakot, Chattar Plain, Ayubia, Booni, Bumburet, Garam Chashma, Mastuj, Chitral, Birmogh Lasht, Saidu Sharif, Besham, Miandam, Baran Kallay, Kalam, Chakdarra, Panakot and Torkham.
The documents show that the PTDC motel in Naran has 60 huts and spread over an area of 160 kanals while the motel in the Besham area of Swat had 47 rooms and spread over 16 kanals of land.
The Green Tourism was registered at the Company Registration Office in Islamabad on Jan 26, 2024.
May 24, 2024
Source: Pakistan Radio, Samaa TV