PESHAWAR  - The task of construction of five and three star hotels, skiing resort and chairlift at snowbound and picturesque hill station Malam Jabba in Swat valley has been assigned to private sector company Samsung.
The company will invest Rs3.50 billion during two-years under the agreement, the tourism and environment departments have leased out the five acres Malam Jabba top and 270 acres adjacent lands to the company to ensure tourism installations and environment-friendly facilities to make these areas most attractive for local and foreign tourists. The company has directed to start work on providing facilities for skiing and skating to the tourists during the forthcoming winter season especially during the snowfall climax period while the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak while appreciating the performance of the Board of Investment and Trade (BoIT) especially its living spirit Mohsin Aziz has desired it to assist the department of tourism in making tourist spots more attractive for the tourists.  
Pervez Khattak has authorized BoIT to privatise three important tourism projects in the province. The projects besides the installation of chairlift at Malam Jabba, construction of ski resort, three and five-star hotels also included two kilometres long another chairlift in Galiyat and construction of five-star Hotel resort on a vast land in Galiyat.
In this connection, a meeting was held here at CM Secretariat Peshawar with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in the chair. The meeting reviewed in detail matters relating to handing over the leased lands in Malam Jabba to Samsung to enable it promptly start work on tourism facilities there as well as steps relating to further making all pleasant areas more attractive for tourists.
The meeting was attended by Provincial Minister for Education and Energy Muhammad Atif Khan, Vice chairman BoIT Mohsin Aziz, Chief Secretary Amjad Ali Khan, Secretary Environment Dr Hammad Owais Agha, Secretary Tourism, DG KP Tourism Cooperation, GM TCKP Mohammad Sajjad, GM Samsung Samiur Rehman  and other officers concerned of the departments of environment, tourism etc. The chief minister said that in case of the construction of international standard, the leasing out of Malam Jabba skiing, hotels and chairlift for a period of 33 years to private sector would also be given 20 years extension to the agreement. He also directed for starting work on the construction of 10-kilometer road to Malam Jabba and directed the department of Communications and Works for early action on it.
He said that in case of required increase in tourist activities, standard and number of tourists; he had already issued directives for starting helicopter service to important tourist spots, including Malam Jabba. Similarly, the chief minister besides issuing directives for granting NOC for two-kilometre long chairlift for lease of forest land accepted the offer of private sector in this regard and added that more incentives would also be reviewed in case of tangible results.
On this occasion, Vice Chairman BoIT Mohsin Aziz while appreciating the keen interest and active role of chief minister in promotion of tourism in the province and restoration of the confidence of investors assured that before foreign domestic, local investors will come to our assistance and will play major role in increasing business, tourism and employment opportunities over here as it is their native land and their all expectations are linked with it.