Swat River turns into Death Trap as Pakistan's incompetent system fails to act

Peshawar [Pakistan], July 20 (ANI): Public outrage continues to mount in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following the release of a damning fact-finding report into the Swat River tragedy that claimed the lives of 12 tourists last month, exposing deep-rooted negligence, mismanagement, and criminal indifference by the provincial authorities, Geo News reported.
According to Geo News, the report, compiled by the Culture and Tourism Department, highlights how the provincial administration, particularly the Culture and Tourism Authority (CTA), failed to regulate or enforce basic safety measures in the region. It states that the Tourism Department was "absent" from the scene, while the official helpline (1422) remained unused, indicating a complete lack of public outreach and preparedness.
The tragedy occurred on June 27 when a sudden surge of floodwaters swept away 17 members of a family picnicking by the Swat River. Harrowing videos shared online showed the family stranded on a shrinking patch of land, pleading for help for nearly an hour, with no rescue personnel in sight. The body of Abdullah, a child from Sialkot, was only recovered 21 days later, Geo News reported.
The report holds the management of a private hotel directly responsible for the incident, noting the building had been constructed illegally on the riverbed without a No Objection Certificate (NOC). Despite multiple weather warnings, no barriers were erected, and guests were given unrestricted access to the dangerous riverbank.
Critics say this is not just negligence, it is criminal apathy enabled by a corrupt and dysfunctional state system that treats Baloch, Pashtun, and peripheral regions like expendable colonies. The BYC and civil society activists point out that the same state that enforces disappearances and brutality in Balochistan cannot even provide basic safety in its "tourist jewels" like Swat.
Geo News reported that protests and legal petitions have been launched in the Peshawar High Court demanding accountability. The report recommends initiating criminal proceedings against the hotel operators, introducing a hotel licensing regime, deploying Tourism Police, and implementing strict safety protocols during the monsoon season.
But for the families who lost loved ones, such post-tragedy recommendations are too little, too late, another example of a failing state more focused on optics than on saving lives. (ANI)