Uplift of Balochistan, FATA utmost priority of PTI govt

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning and Development, Makhdum Khusro Bakhtiar on Friday said that development of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Balochistan was the utmost priority of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) government working under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Talking to a private news channel programe, he said that present government was making strenuous efforts to bring economic growth rate at 6.5 percent, within four years period.

He said that we were focusing on economic stability and sustainable development.

The efforts were being made to ensure public-private partnership for completing the projects like Sukkur-Hyderabad motorways. It will cost about two billion dollars, he added.

The minister further stated that public-private partnership would be the best option for completion of such projects and to get rid of loan money.

He said that Quetta-Zob road project would also be completed in near future.

The minister was of the view that ML-I was the best project for the entire nation and the country, while there was no need to initiate the Orange Train project with billions of rupees.

Expressing dismay over the weak policies of leaders of the last governments of Pakistan Muslim League-N and Pakistan Peoples Party, he said that the leaders of political parties had taken the loans of Rs 30,000 billion during their tenures of governments.

Khusro Bakhtiar said that a commission would be formed to probe the wastage of huge money.

The last government of PML-N, had left over Rs 500 billion circular debt for the new government, he said.

To a question, the minister said that budget which was presented recently in the National Assembly for the next fiscal year, would be passed successfully.

To another question, he said that a record budget of Rs 950 billion, had been allocated for the development purpose.