Abbottabad to get its very own amusement park
5 Feb 2013 5:36 AM IST
Pakistan has begun work on $30 million amusement park in the garrison town of Abbottabad, where al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed by US commandoes in May 2011.
Syed Aqil Shah, the Tourism Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, launched work on the 50-acre ‘amusement city’ at Harno on the outskirts of Abbottabad on Sunday.
The project, which will include a heritage centre, zoo, water sports facilities, a mini golf course and restaurants, will be a public-private partnership venture, officials said.
Shah told the media that the project was part of the provincial government’s efforts to revive tourism and sports activities.
Work had also been started on a water sports facility at Khanpur-Haripur and an eco-tourism project at Naran-Khagan.
Officials sought to play down the fact that bin Laden had lived in Abbottabad for several years and was killed in a compound located a stone’s throw from the elite Pakistan Military Academy.
Shah told reporters the new project had ‘nothing to do’ with the world’s most wanted man.
The amusement park will initially cover 50 acres and could later be expanded to 500 acres, officials said.
Work is expected to begin by March and the project is expected to be completed in eight years.
Project director Kaleemuddin said the amusement park will also have food huts, adventure club, paragliding clubs, heritage train, boating, hotel, skiing ramps and jogging tracks.
Abbottabad, a quiet town located just 120 km from Islamabad, is a popular destination for tourists.
Authorities demolished bin Laden’s compound in February last year due to fears it could become a shrine for extremists.
Syed Aqil Shah, the Tourism Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, launched work on the 50-acre ‘amusement city’ at Harno on the outskirts of Abbottabad on Sunday.
The project, which will include a heritage centre, zoo, water sports facilities, a mini golf course and restaurants, will be a public-private partnership venture, officials said.
Shah told the media that the project was part of the provincial government’s efforts to revive tourism and sports activities.
Work had also been started on a water sports facility at Khanpur-Haripur and an eco-tourism project at Naran-Khagan.
Officials sought to play down the fact that bin Laden had lived in Abbottabad for several years and was killed in a compound located a stone’s throw from the elite Pakistan Military Academy.
Shah told reporters the new project had ‘nothing to do’ with the world’s most wanted man.
The amusement park will initially cover 50 acres and could later be expanded to 500 acres, officials said.
Work is expected to begin by March and the project is expected to be completed in eight years.
Project director Kaleemuddin said the amusement park will also have food huts, adventure club, paragliding clubs, heritage train, boating, hotel, skiing ramps and jogging tracks.
Abbottabad, a quiet town located just 120 km from Islamabad, is a popular destination for tourists.
Authorities demolished bin Laden’s compound in February last year due to fears it could become a shrine for extremists.
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