I VISITED the Gorakh hill recently. The tour was arranged by one of the tour operators in Karachi. From base camp at Wahi Pandhi, rickety 50-year-old jeeps take tourist up the hill. It took us two and half hours to reach ‘Benazir point’ at the top.

The journey from base camp was terrible because of pathetic road conditions. Someone told me that the road was under construction but I saw only a few people working at one location. It seems the Sindh government is not in a hurry to complete such projects.

During this troubled journey, I regretted visiting this tourist spot. Anyhow, the view of the barren mountains at the top was beautiful with sub-zero temperature at night.

I was surprised to see only one government restaurant offering some food; otherwise there were no hotels and no chairlifts. It was quite difficult to survive at night in such cold weather in a tent without any heating arrangement by the tour operator.

There were more than a thousand people, most with families, at the top. Gorakh hill is a God-gifted place in Sindh and is an attraction for tourists.

It is time the Sindh government built basic infrastructure like roads, lights, band clean drinking water. It should also encourage private investment for establishing hotels, chairlifts, and shops.

Salahuddin Kazi

Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2019