Gilgit Baltistan: Economic crisis looms large over hoteliers amid Covid19 outbreak

Jul 21, 2020

Gilgit (Gilgit Baltistan), July 21, 2020: A large number of people associated with the hotel industry in Gilgit Baltistan held a demonstration against the government and demanded reopening of industry. They carried banners with text highlighting their plights. Protesters said they were already surviving on bare minimum and poverty was looming large as authorities had not responded to any of their problems. It is not just the lockdown imposed in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak that has affected the hoteliers and a large dependent staff in Gilgit Baltistan. They have been out of business since October, the month which heralds the beginning of chilly winters in the region and affects the footfall significantly in this tourist hotspot. Hoteliers are concerned as to what if it is a systematic design to further marginalize the people of the region. Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, who is currently at the helm of affairs related to this illegally occupied region, had announced the resumption of the hotel business but the local authorities have not given the nod. This, however, has been an old trick where the leaders make populist announcements in Islamabad but themselves barricade the action on ground.