QUETTA, Sept 27: The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) has made a complete exit from Balochistan by giving its hotels and rest houses to private contractors on rent to run them.

Informed sources told Dawn that the PTDC had handed over its assets on nominal rents to the contractors, relieving itself from any service to tourists.

In the fast changing world, where countries across the world have given vital importance to tourism to boost their economies and most of the developing and developed countries had given it the status of an industry, in Pakistan the sector still badly needs government attention.

The sector does not need major investment and with meagre investment and normal facilities the government could earn millions of dollars in foreign exchange which the tourists bring with them.

Balochistan is a wonderful province blessed by God by natural beauty. It has five distinct ecological zones. It is unfortunate that the PTDC has failed to boost tourism in the province which has international frontiers with Iran and Afghanistan with an outlet through sea routes to all directions.

It is to be mentioned here that there is a ban on foreign tourists to visit beyond 46 kilometres of Quetta.

They have to seek prior official permission to pay a visit beyond 46 kilometres from Quetta.

Though this does not apply to official delegations or teams on official visits to Balochistan, the tourists are still banned from having interaction or contacts with local people as a British Colonial rule is still effective.

The successive governments have never tried to annul the law and open the province to foreign tourists and develop the province.

The PTDC built a number of motels in Balochistan. They are located in Taftan, Khuzdar, Gwadar and Ziarat. Another one is under construction at the Zero Mile of Chaman. With huge pomp and show the PTDC had acquired the land from the Pakistan Army to build a motel at Chaman to help tourists visiting Pakistan. The structure is still incomplete to this date. Thieves and other anti-social elements have stolen doors and windows, leaving only the concrete structure.

The PTDC has got itself completely out of picture by giving its motels at Khuzdar, Gwadar and Taftan on contracts to private parties.

The Khuzdar motel has been closed down and the contractor has taken away all electrical machineries, appliances and other utilities installed at the hotel. The contractors did not pay the rent fixed by the PTDC and now it is closed for good with no plans for its reopening in the near future.

The motel in Taftan was given on a contract to a foreigner. He is a Bangladeshi national operating at the sensitive border with Iran.