Gilgit-Baltistan welcomes Chinese investors

BEIJING: Raja Nazeem-ul-Amin, Vice Chairman of Board of Investment Gilgit-Baltistan welcomed Chinese investors to boost tourism, power, agriculture, mining and wood industries in Gilgit-Baltistan adding that the educated, skilled locals would be helpful for Chinese investors.

The COVID-19 pandemic slows down everything, but in the future the tourism sector will restart, and GB and China can be good partners regarding tourism. “GB tourism department attends national and international tourism conferences, fairs, exhibitions and roadshows. “investors can build hotels, chair lifts, food chains here.,” ,” he added.

Blessed with high peaks like K2, Nanga Parbat and Rakaposhi, GB is one of the most beautiful, scenic places in the world and is known as a tourist destination. Skardu District, Astor, Base camp in Nanga Parbat, Fairy Meadows in Diamer District, Gahzar District, Shandur Pass, Phandar Valley, Hunza, Nagar and many more can be visited by Chinese tourists in the future, he told China Economic Net (CEN).

On top of tourism, Raja Nazeem-ul-Amin mentioned that other industries in GB are also in dire need of China's investments.

When it comes to agriculture, the Vice Chairman said that cherries, apples, apricots, almonds, walnuts in GB are of high quality. Besides, GB enjoys a great potential in developing power sector. As he put it, local resource could generate more than 55,000 megawatts clean energy to the rest of the world. Also, mining sector is emerging and the locals wish to export the raw marble stone and granite products to the world.

Regarding the progress of Moqpondass Special Economic Zone, he noted that local government had already summited the proposal to Board of Investment, Islamabad for upcoming investment from international organizations from China and other countries. The Vice Chairman also expressed his gratitude to the government and people of China for their help during the COVID-19 epidemic. Chinese charities like China-Pak Youth Exchange Community (CPYEC) handed out relief packages to needy families in Pakistan, including GB, he said in the interview.