Lost in the Mist: The Missing Safari and the Umbrella of Secrecy

musarrat ullah jan -

 

 

Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - An atmosphere of secrecy surrounds the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cultural and Tourism Authority's (KPTCA) highly publicized safari service, which was inaugurated with great fanfare in March 2024.

Nine months later, the promised excursions to the province's stunning tourist attractions are largely undocumented, raising questions regarding transparency and accountability in the KPTCA.

The safari facility, meant to highlight KP's natural beauty, has turned out to be a mystery. Information about how many safaris were operated, where they were taken, and how the passenger list was compiled is nowhere to be found.

 The KPTCA has also kept silent about the monetary side of the project, evoking suspicions of how public funds were being spent. Was the safari service an individual endeavor on the part of the KPTCA, or a cooperative venture with another organization? The response, as for the safari trails themselves, is one of secrecy.

Adding to the drama is the seeming unwillingness of the KPTCA to heed Right to Information (RTI) applications. A citizen had made an RTI application nine months ago for information on the safari service, but there has been no response. Another application filed in January 2024 met the same fate. The KPTCA's stonewalling has only fueled greater public suspicion and raised grave issues about transparency.

Local people and civil society groups are calling for an explanation. They are insisting that ventures using public money should be transparent to the public. Failure to be transparent in the case of the safari service, along with the silence from the KPTCA about other ventures and staff information, has fostered a sense of suspicion.

 It is charged that the KPTCA is purposefully holding back information, hampering accountability and stifling intelligent public discussion about tourism planning in the province.

 

The elusive safari has emerged as a metaphor for the wider challenges to transparency and accountability within the KPTCA. The demand for open government and access to information is becoming more vocal, with citizens demanding greater transparency on how public money is being spent and how decisions affecting tourism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are being taken.

 Until the KPTCA illuminates the safari service and how it functions, the project may become a victim of its own secrecy and the public lost in the haze of unanswered questions.

#TourismKP #SafariService #TransparencyMatters #RightToInformation #PublicFunds #TourismDevelopment #KPKGovernment #RTIRequest #Accountability #FreedomOfInformation #VanishingSafari #KPTCA #OpenGovernance #KPtourism #PakistanTourism

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