Sanjrani hails Japanese donation for Dadu-Khuzdar Transmission System

ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani on Monday said that Pakistan attached great importance to its relations with Japan and desired to further expand the friendly ties in different sectors for mutual benefit of the people of two sides.

He was talking to Kuninoro Matsuda, Ambassador of Japan in Pakistan who visited Parliament House to call on Chairman Senate. The Chairman Senate welcomed the Kuninoro Matsuda, new Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan and thanked the cooperation and extended support for different projects being executed in Balochistan with the financial assistance of government of Japan.

He especially appreciated the contribution of Japanese government for Dadu-Khuzdar Transmission System Project amounting 7302 million Japanese Yen under which a 275 km 220 KV double circuit transmission line is being constructed to link existing NTDC grid station at Dadu (Sindh) to 220 KV new grid station at Khuzdar (Balochistan).

Sanjrani also lauded the Japanese support for Balochistan Middle Level Education Project under which 200 primary schools were being upgraded to the level of middle schools and also involve construction of science rooms and technical workshops in addition to provision of necessary equipment.

The Japanese government has extended an amount of 231250000 Japanese Yen in shape of a grant for Economic Social Development Programme in Balochistan. The government of Japan has handed over Water Well Drilling Rigs to the Irrigation Department for improving the living standard of people of the Balochistan.

Chairman Senate was apprised by the Ambassador that Japanese government also provided an amount of 500 million Japanese Yen to procure machinery and equipment for technical education and vocational training centers as well as for well drilling rigs made by Japanese Small and Medium Enterprises to the provincial governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

Sanjrani was also informed by the Ambassador that Japanese government has also extended technical cooperation for a project of In-Country Training and provision of equipment for Balochistan University of Information Technology and Information Science amounting to 200 million Japanese Yen during the year 2013-17.

Civil Department, Mining Department and Petroleum Gas Department of the University have been provided with latest equipment through Japanese assistance. Three students of these departments of the University have also been sent to Japan to attain master degree.

Chairman Senate thanked the Japanese government for its role to improve the agriculture sector in Balochistan. He also appreciated the assistance and training being provided to the Senate Secretariat officers and staff at National Diet of Japan.

The Chairman Senate reiterated need to further strengthen the existing economic relations between Pakistan and Japan and called for minimising the imbalance in trade between two countries. He said that prospects of trade volume can be improved through enhancing parliamentary ties and cooperation. He added that bilateral relations could be further cemented by increasing parliamentary exchanges.

The Chairman Senate extended invitation to the President of House of Councilors, the Upper House of the National Diet of Japan to visit Pakistan.

Sanjrani said that Pakistan always looks for peaceful resolution of disputes; however, Indian government war hysteria is a constant danger for the peace of region. He said Indian army is committing serious human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir.

The innocent people including women and children are being targeted to the pallet guns and tortures. He said that international community should come forward and play an active role for peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue according to the aspirations of Kashmiris and in line with the UN resolutions.

The Ambassador of Japan conveyed the willingness of Japanese government to invest in various projects in Gwadar and further enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries. He also informed that Japanese government is considering providing scholarships to students of Balochistan. Both sides agreed for activating the Friendship Groups in respective Parliaments.