Daily Times

Local traders and hoteliers in Pakistan’s Swat on Wednesday said tourism has suffered in the region after the government issued flood warnings for the entire summer season.

Addressing a crowded press conference, Swat Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Rahat Ali Khan, Traders Federation spokesperson Khalid Mehmood, general secretary of Swat Petroleum and CNG Association Zahoor Iqbal, general secretary of Hotel Association Mohammad Wakil, Zakir Mohammad, Yousaf Ali, Adnan Khan and others opposed the government’s decision to increase taxes. They said that the middle and working classes would suffer owing to the economic policies of the government. They demanded the government check the negative impacts of the deal with International Monetary Fund.

They said the government should take austerity measures and the increase in power tariffs has put an unbearable burden on people.

The representatives of traders said that tourism was badly affected in Swat after the issuance of flood warnings by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority. They claimed that rivers in Swat flowed at normal levels and tourists could easily visit the area. They threatened to organise protests and strikes in the Malakand division if the government did not respond to their request within ten days.