KP CM vows to get share for province in CPEC

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Friday pledged to approach the relevant forum to get the development share of the province in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)- related projects.

He was talking to different delegations of lawmakers and groups of people from different walks of life at his office at the Chief Minister's Secretariat, Peshawar, said an official handout. The delegations informed the chief minister about problems of their respective areas in the context of the CPEC.

The chief minister said he had already planned industrialisation, agriculture sector development, efficient use of surface and groundwater resources, expanding the productive sectors in the province, tapping the natural resources of the province, which focus on the seven newly merged tribal districts and developing tourism along attractive lines to make these resources the dominant features of the overall economy of the province.

Mahmood Khan said he would negotiate at the proper forum to get some feasible projects in the CPEC portfolio that would include projects in road and rail communication, industrialisation on the raw material of the province, oil and gas related projects predominantly projects for tourism promotion in the province.

Meanwhile, the chief minister expressed his commitment to boost the economy and improve the livelihood of poor farmers and people through visible change in the agriculture sector. "The issues of Agriculture Department would be resolved on a priority basis," he assured while presiding over a meeting at the Chief Minister's Secretariat

Member of provincial Assembly Fazle Illahi, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Muhammad Israr, IT Specialist Mohammad Shah, Dr Sajid Ali and others attended. The chief minister was briefed about the vision to uplift the economy through value addition in agriculture produces, increasing the productivity of arable land and utilisation of rain feed areas with an ultimate aim to make prosperous the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The chief minister welcomed the recommendations and assured that the KP government would extend all-out support to implement these proposals and every possible step would be taken to facilitate the department in order to convert its vision into reality to uplift the provincial economy.