Owner Hashwani at a news conference in front of the Marriott. The façade (top right), a part of which was reduced to twisted iron, recently received a coat of paint

Islamabad, Oct. 14: Islamabad’s Marriott Hotel, where a truck bomb killed at least 60 people last month, will reopen on December 30 but will no longer allow vehicles to enter.

Hotel owner Sadruddin Hashwani, 68, made the announcement at the launch of a fund for the families of the 40-odd Marriott employees killed or injured in the September 20 blast.

“I will make this hotel a fortress and reopen it on December 30,” Pakistan’s third richest man said, adding he would secure the building by erecting a huge wall at the entrance.

“We will now have the main entrance at the back… which will not expose the building to a big threat.”

The businessman announced a “Sahara Fund” for the families of dead employees and donated an initial amount of 1 crore Pakistani rupees.

“This will also take care of the families of all victims of terrorism across Pakistan in addition to some 40 Marriott employees killed and wounded in the attack,” he said.

“Now I will look after their (employees’) kids and families, bear all their expenses and marry (off) their daughters,” Hashwani told The Telegraph.

The hotel’s more than 1,000 employees will continue to receive their salaries while the building is renovated, he said.

The blast blew up the facade of the five-floor hotel and the fire burnt almost all the 258 rooms.

“There are hundreds of Marriott officials whom I have called from all over Pakistan and they are working day and night to restore the hotel to its lost glory,” Hashwani said. “I know we will be able to give a better look to this hotel.”

The 1970s-style hotel, a landmark in Islamabad and a favourite with international visitors, is now covered in dust and ash. The burnt wood panelling, broken chandeliers, smashed life-size mirrors and furniture, blackened walls and dusty mosaic floors have given it the look of historical ruins.

The lobby and stairways leading to the conference halls and meeting rooms are also in a shambles, with the smell of smoke hanging in the air. The sculptures and wall paintings by Pakistani and international artists are burnt to ashes.

The hotel had Chinese, Lebanese, Japanese and Thai restaurants in addition to the main Nadia café, famous for serving Pakistani and continental delicacies. Nadia, which stood testimony to the management’s aesthetic sense, is beyond recognition.

Dozens of labourers, electricians and hotel staff, however, are now busy renovating the building, which has been re-painted in off-white.

“Our kitchens, laundry and restaurants remained safe and we have already started outdoor catering,” Hashwani said.

The businessman has been complaining about the government’s half-hearted response to his requests for increased security in and around the hotel.

“I am ready to spend one billion rupees to reconstruct the hotel but the government should extend support in dealing with the security problem,” he said.

Hashwani said he could not afford another suicide bomber to hit the hotel and kill dozens of innocent people.

Hashwani leads the Hashoo Group, which is known for its dominance of Pakistan’s hotel industry but has a strong real estate business too. The Hashwanis are involved in the trading of cotton grain and steel. Till the nationalisation of cotton export in 1974, they were known as the Cotton Kings of Pakistan.

The group exports rice, wheat, cotton and barley. It owns textile units, besides having invested billions in mines, minerals, insurance, batteries, tobacco, engineering and information technology.