MEMBERS of the Pakistan Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions protested on Tuesday (25) outside the national press club in Islamabad against the closure of parks.
Rising Covid infection rates have meant that amusement parks in the country have been closed since March 2020, leading to loss of income and affecting the lives of 35,000 to 40,000 people.
Association president Khalid Khan told The Express Tribune thousands of people would lose their jobs if the reopening of amusement parks was delayed any further.
According to him, 70 to 75 per cent of the sector's annual revenue is earned during the festivals of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha; however, the pandemic has led to losses that could not be compensated for years to come.
Amusement parks are part of the service industry, Khan said, and added they can operate while following standard operating procedures, ensuring social distancing is maintained in the open air.
Damian Talbot
Nirmala Sitharaman speaks at the India-UK Investor Roundtable in London last Wednesday (9). On the panel were India’s department of economic affairs secretary Ajay Seth and Kotak Mahindra Bank founder Uday Kotak
Sitharaman with Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves
Sitharaman with Jonathan Reynolds 
Sitharaman with Reynolds, Alastair King, India’s high commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and other delegates