A PTI leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has denied allegations of political pressure behind the closure of the Swat Serena Hotel, saying the hotel shut down voluntarily after refusing to accept a proposed increase in its annual lease.
According to the source, Akhtar Khan, a PTI Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) from Swat rejected claims that he or fellow PTI MPA Fazal Hakim forced the hotel to stop operations or planned to run it as a joint venture.
He said the provincial government’s intention was only to revise the lease in line with current market rates.
According to Khan, the Swat Serena Hotel had been paying an annual lease of Rs. 700,000, a figure that had remained unchanged for many years.
He said this amount was far below market value, especially for a premium hotel brand operating in a major tourist destination like Swat.
Khan stated that the proposed lease revision did not suit Serena Hotels’ management, which led to the sudden closure of the property.
He stressed that no political pressure was applied and that the decision to close the hotel was made by the management itself.
He further explained that after Serena Hotels refused to accept the revised lease terms, the KP government’s tourism department took over control of the property.
The department now plans to re-advertise the hotel lease through a competitive bidding process.
According to Khan, the bidding process will be open to both local and international bidders. He added that Serena Hotels is also welcome to participate in the bidding, provided it agrees to the revised lease terms.
The development has sparked public debate, but the KP government maintains that the issue is purely commercial and aimed at ensuring fair value for public assets.