Chinese firms to invest $20b in KP: Khattak

Says 3 more projects in province included in CPEC

NOWSHERA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Friday said that Chinese investors would invest $20 billion in various sectors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Addressing a public meeting in Nizampur area in his native district Nowshera, he said the Chinese investors had assured him during his recent visit to China that would invest billions of dollars in industrial sector, infrastructure development, tourism and other sectors.

He said three more projects for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been included in the multi-billion dollars China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government would sign agreements for these projects with China in June next.  He added that the projects included construction of Dir-Chitral-Gilgit road, 1,700 MW power generation projects and laying of railway track for fast train service between five districts of the province.

The chief minister said work on these projects would be launched in 2018.He maintained that with the inclusion of these three projects the value of the CPEC would increase to $70 billion. He said CPEC was a long-term project to be completed by 2030.

He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would now get enhanced investment in CPEC.“We can bring more investment to the province under CPEC if we could point out good areas for investment,” he added.

He said the province was rich in natural resources and has a vast potential for hydel power projects, tourism and industrialization.The chief minister said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had proposed three sites for setting up industrial park in the province. These include 10, 000 kanals of land in Hattar, land near the Karnal Sher Khan Interchange on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway in Swabi, and in Risalpur Industrial Estate and Dera Ismail Khan.

The Chinese investors and federal government would choose one place from the three proposed sites for setting up the industrial park, he added.Pervez Khattak said they were expecting huge investment in the industrial sector in future. “The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government has focused its energies on provision of standard health and education facilities to the people at their doorsteps and establish a justice-based society,” he added.

Nowshera District Nazim Liaqat Khattak who is a brother of the chief minister and MPA Idrees Khattak also spoke on the occasion.On the occasion, former nazim Shad Ali Khan along with his family members, friends and well-wishers resigned for the PML-N and joined the PTI.