CPEC projects to boost Pakistan into new stage of industrialisation: Khattak

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak said that CPEC projects were entering to a new stage of joint industrialisation in the province and PTI government successfully included a number of mega projects in the overall canvas of CPEC in KP.
He was talking to a delegation of Women entrepreneurs led by its president Shamama Arbab at CM House Peshawar on Sunday. Chief Minister said that after the Chinese trip he negotiated various projects with the Chinese state run companies in Lahore. He said, "The western route stands integral part of the CPEC."
A Chinese company agreed to develop Rashkai Industrial Zone and an MoU was formally signed. Provincial government was working on the development of 9 sites for the industrialisation in the province, he added. He said some of them would directly become part of the CPEC JCC and the rest would be showcased at the road show in March in Beijing.
He said Peshawar and KP was about to become a commercial and trade center and the women entrepreneur should play role in the new scheme. He asked the Women entrepreneur to co-ordinate with EZDMC. The government wanted the province to develop and progress commercially. He said their successes in the backdrop of CPEC were visible but a negative mindset was not willing to see the province progressed by leaps and bounds. This mindset has its own interest at stake and they work only for their own interests he added.
Chief Minister asked the anti-progress elements to stop playing dramas and tilting issues around their own interest. It is a country of all and all should understand the problems of the people otherwise the history would never forgive them, he added. He said if they continued to have an anti-people posture they would stay as blemish at the pages of history.
Pervez Khattak said it is important to understand the development associated with the CPEC. The previous rulers were vociferous and their sloganeering restricted to their political interests, instead of right of the province. He said the PTI government succeeded on multiple fronts in achieving rights of the province and CPEC became part of the western route.
Another route from Gilgit connecting Shandoor, Chitral towards Chakdara has been included in the CPEC. The federal government agreed to upgrade Indus highway and a railway track would be laid from Peshawar to D.I.Khan. N-55 would link Kohat Jand as reflected in the PSDP. In addition two other routes were identified that included Giligit to Besham, Shangla, Swabi, Mardan and the second is Gilgit, Besham, Shangla, Khuwzakhela, Swat, Chakdara, Peshawar, Kohat, D.I.Khan, Zhob, Quetta, Gawdar, he added.
He said a railway track from Gilgit to Shandoor and Swat to Dargai have been proposed. In the first phase JCC agreed to certain industrial zones that included Rashkai, Hattar, D.I.Khan and one among them would be included in the CPEC. Work on the economic zone at D.I.Khan and Karak was going on and a marble city in Mohmand agency had been identified.
A total of 9 sites had been identified for industrialisation in the province which included Swat, Malakand, Hattar, Karak, D.I.Khan, Mohmand Agency, Kohat, Jalozai, Rashakai etc. A Chinese company had signed an MoU for the development of Rashkai Industrial Zone which also included relocation of Chinese industries because of cheap labour etc, he added.
He said government had given one window operation for rapid industrialisation in the province. We have also offered Chinese companies to develop small hydel powers generation and run of the river projects, he added.
He said the provincial government was working on producing skilled manpower to meet the growing needs of industrialisation in the backdrop of CPEC. He said his province set a glaring example of good governance and rapid industrialisation before others and hoped that on this performance, PTI would stage a comeback.
The Chief Minister gave a cheque of Rs 10 million to women entrepreneurs. He hoped that the women entrepreneurs would play key role in the overall development of the province.