SKMT hospital Karachi to be most modern facility: PM

BEIJING/ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday said Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKMT) cancer hospital in Karachi would turn out to be one of the most modern medical facilities in the country.

In a tweet, the prime minister expressed satisfaction that construction work on SKMT Karachi was going on with full speed. ''Work on SKMT Karachi basement (is) proceeding at a good pace after a slowdown during the COVID crisis," he tweeted. Imran Khan also shared a few photographs of the construction work.

"This will InshaAllah be the biggest SKMT hospital and the most modern in Pakistan," he said. Meanwhile, Cheng Xizhong, visiting professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Saturday said Prime Minister Imran Khan's decision to establish markets along the western border areas was an important measure to fully open border trade with Afghanistan andIran. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed the authorities concerned to fast-track establishment of markets in the country's border areas with Afghanistan and Iran.

They were also asked for early formulation of a comprehensive border economic development strategy in this regard. “I believe that the decision of Pakistani government to establish markets along the western border areas is an important measure to fully open the border trade with Afghanistan and Iran," he said in a statement.

This reflects at least three points, first, Pakistan has made substantial progress in its efforts to improve relations with its western neighbors Afghanistan and Iran over the years. Second, the security situation in the western border areas has been significantly improved by strengthening the fight against terrorism and extremism together with regional countries.

Third, Pakistan is committed to regional connectivity, development and prosperity. He said, the decision to fast-track markets in the border areas was also a concrete reflection of the geo-economic strategy of the Imran Khan administration, which was conducive to curbing the commodity smuggling in the border areas, bolstering up the regional economy, creating more employment opportunities for the local people and bringing the prosperity to the people residing in the border areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The people in the border areas of Afghanistan and Iran would also benefit. Over the years, Pakistan has taken a firm stand on the issue of anti-terrorism and has implemented a series of security operations in the western border areas to crack down on terrorist activities.