ISLAMABAD: The ongoing anti-government sit-ins organised by Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and extraordinary security measures have not only affected the local traders business, but also put a damper on tourism.

Visitors’ number to various recreational spots has been very thin during the last couple of weeks.

Even the tourist train, which is supposed to complete its two-hour round from Rose and Jasmine Garden to Lok Virsa Museum twice a day, has been lying inoperative for the past few days.

The train enables the tourists to see Shakarparian, National Monument, Lok Virsa and Pakistan Natural History Museum by paying a nominal fare of Rs 10 for children/students and Rs30 from adult.

Tourist train at Rose and Jasmine Garden lying inoperative for two weeks

“How can we ply train without visitors. Due to sit-ins the tourism activities have almost come to a halt,” said Saeed Ahmed, Deputy Director, Tourism and added “our train is standing there waiting for visitors in vain”.

Mr Saeed said that after the arrival of the marchers in the city, CDA had to stop this service. Last Sunday, we re-started the train service, but still we are facing shortage of visitors.

“Today, we had to cancel scheduled trip for want of visitors,” he said and added that if the situation did not improve, they had to stop the service again.

He said owing to uncertainty and security reasons, visitors from other cities were not coming to Islamabad while majority of local visitors preferred to visit dharnas.

A large number of people from the twin cities, regardless of their political affiliation, visit the sit-ins to have fun.

Particularly, the PTI sit-in venue is centre of attraction for local people, the CDA official added.

Amir Abbasi, driver of Golf Cart in Rose and Jasmine Garden, said before, dharnas, he used to provide 10 to 12 trips of the garden to the visitors each day, but nowadays he hardly had one.

“People have stopped coming out of their houses, which has badly affected my business,” said Muhammad Shafiq a vendor selling Papar at Shakarparian.

He, however, said in the evening he made quick bucks at the sit-in where he visited daily.

He said previously students of schools and colleges of other cities used to come to Islamabad for visiting various recreational spots, but during the last one month their number has almost reduced to zero.

Director General Sports and Culture, Asif Shahjahan, however said that things would improve in next few days. “Due to dharnas, we kept the train stopped around one month. We re-launched the service just a few days back, I hope in coming days situation will improve,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2014