Western route made part of CPEC, says CM at briefing

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Wednesday that the Western route had been made part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under a written agreement.

He said that Gilgit to Shandur and Chitral to Chakdara was an alternate route of CPEC and the provincial government would soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chinese companies in this regard. “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has a lot of natural resources and CPEC has added to its importance in the region,” he added.The chief minister was speaking at a briefing arranged by various government departments at the CM House here.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Secretary General Jehangir Tareen and administrative secretaries of the provincial government were present on the occasion.

Pervez Khattak said the government was taking steps to promote industrialisation to address the issue of unemployment. He added that incentives and facilities would be extended to potential investors for the purpose. “During my recent visit to China, we had meaningful talks with several international companies that showed a lot of interest in making investment in our province,” he disclosed.

The chief minister said he had directed all the working groups in the departments to arrange training for the youth to provide skilled workforce to the industrialists and investors. He said the security situation had also improved and the prevailing circumstances were favourable for domestic and foreign investment.

Pervez Khattak said a mass transit project would be launched to connect Peshawar, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Charsadda and Malakand division. He said industrial zones would be established in Dera Ismail Khan, Karak, Kohat and other districts to create job opportunities. The chief minister added that agreements had been signed with Chinese companies to establish industries in Pakistan.