Azad Kashmir to open tourism sector for foreign investors, PM Raja Farooq Haider

Rawalakot, Kashmir, Pakistan: Kashmir’s lush mountains and valleys. (AN photo)

• Arab investors would be invited to establish tourist villages in Kashmir after legislation, says Chairman Board of Investment
• AJK government contemplating winter and adventure tourism by upgrading basic infrastructure

KARACHI: The government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the Pakistan-administered region of disputed Kashmir, is considering opening up its picturesque landscape to foreign investors in the tourism sector, Raja Farooq Haider Khan, Prime Minister of AJK, told Arab News.
“We will hold roadshows and meetings with investors in London and Dubai to convince them to invest in the tourism sector, which has not been fully exploited yet,” Khan said. 
He added: “We are upgrading road infrastructure, telephone, and Internet facilities for the ease of tourists.”
Khan said that his government had started laying the foundations, including necessary legislation for attracting foreign investors, and hoped that the sector would be self-sufficient as an industry within next three years.
“We are contemplating opening up the territory for winter tourism instead of only summer,” he said. “Private sector (investors) would be encouraged to invest in constructing hotels, guest houses and recreational facilities,” Khan added.
Giving the details of government’s plan to attract foreign investors, the chairman of new Kashmir Board of Investment, Sardar Naveed Sadiq, told Arab News that after necessary legal formalities the investors would be invited to invest in Kashmir.
“We are focusing on Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and Bahrain as the temperature in these countries remains high. Our plan is to allocate them land for construction of tourist villages so that they could come in summer, not only with their families, but they could use the facilities for business,” Sadiq said.
Arab countries and investors played a vital role during the devastating earthquake of 2005, which killed around 90,000 people and destroyed the basic infrastructure in the region.
The Arab countries helped with rebuilding, constructing state-of-the-art health facilities in the quake-hit areas. 
“They supported us with modern hospitals and buildings for schools, which had been destroyed in the earthquake,” Sadiq added.
“Our intention is to promote adventure tourism in the region,” he said, adding: “We are looking at the possible venues for construction of five-star hotels and chairlifts, so that every aspect of recreational activity is available to visiting tourists.”
Besides tourism, Kashmir officials have said that the area is open to investment in other sectors, including minerals and energy.
“The government is offering investment opportunities in the hydro sector as the energy needs are growing. Many hydro-electric power projects are in the completion phase while other are in the pipeline. There are many projects of 50MW and above where investment opportunities exist,” said Sadiq.
The issue of Kashmir has been unresolved since the sub-continent was partitioned in 1947 into Pakistan and India. Until the issue is resolved, land could not be bought by any Pakistani or Indian on either side of the disputed territory. “For the investment legislation could be done and we will allocate land on leased bases. It is not big deal,” Sadiq said, in reply to a question about the legal status of investment offer.
At present foreign tourists are not allowed to visit Kashmir without Islamabad’s permission. However, Kashmir officials have said that negotiations were underway to allow foreigners to visit the territory freely.
Pleasant weather conditions, lush green mountains and beautiful valleys offer beautiful view to the visitors. The area attracts more tourists during the summer period when temperature soars in plains of Pakistan.