KARACHI: Gorakh Expressway is a futuristic project on the pattern of the Murree expressway. It is the need of the hour to boost tourism and economy of Sindh, say experts. Sindh lacks a standard hill station and a large number of tourists from the province visit hills stations in Punjab, KPK and Balochistan in summer vacations. The revenue generated by tourism from Sindh by other provinces can be earned by the provincial government if it develops the scenic hill station of Gorakh in Dadu district on international standards. Tourism plays a pivotal role in the economy of all other provinces. These provinces are spending huge sums to develop different tourist attractions, especially hill stations. Dozens of tourist operators work in Sindh, especially Karachi and they send hundreds of thousands of tourists on different packages to spend summer vacations in cooler hill stations in northern Pakistan. These tourists and many more, who visit these areas individually, can be easily drawn towards Gorakh if the provincial government provides better facilities at the site. Experts say that without upgrade of the road that approaches Gorakh, tourists in large numbers cannot be attracted to the iste. The road to Gorakh in its present form cannot be used by buses. Only jeeps and cars can use the road and tourists have to hire costly four-wheel drive vehicles to reach there. The high travel cost is a big barrier and a large number of middle and low-income families cannot visit this attractive hill station as a result. However, if a road can be upgraded along the pattern of the Murree Expressway, thousands of visitors will easily be able to reach Gorakh every day. Road upgrades will also ensure better water supply, provision of good hotels, motels and inns, besides installation of chair-lifts can make Gorakh a big success. If the Gorakh uplift projects are run in serious and professional manner and special development funds are approved by the provincial and federal governments to make Gorakh a world-class tourist resort, this hill station can help tap the tourism potential of Sindh to a great extent. In a meeting with his counterpart from Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair on Saturday underscored the importance of Gorakh Hills, saying the government was giving special attention to promote tourism sector in the province. Talking to the governor of Gilgit-Baltistan Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Muhammad Zubair said Gorakh in Dadu district was the main tourist attraction in Sindh. He said Gorakh was a cooler place, where temperature remained moderate even in the months of June and July. He said the government was giving attention for uplift of tourist resorts and historical places. He said investment had been pouring into Sindh province after improvement of law and order, adding further steps were also being taken to attract even more investment. Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan said that they were also taking steps to promote tourism in the region. He said GB’s terrain was hilly and many projects were under way in the region to ensure better roads and communication means. Published in Daily Times, February 5th 2018.