Rashakai SEZ a milestone project for KP: Khattak

NOWSHERA: Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak on Saturday said that the upcoming budget would be tax-free and people-friendly as it was Prime Minister Imran Khan’s desire to provide relief to the masses at all costs.

Speaking at a press conference after offering condolences to Lt-Gen (r) Muhammad Alam Khattak and former nazim Daud Khattak on the death of their aunt and mother of Engr Ahmad Ali here, he said that there were so many good news for the people in the next budget to be presented on June 11.

“The opposition has no agenda for the welfare of the people that is why the Pakistan Democratic Movement disintegrated before achieving its desired results,” Khattak said, adding that the masses had rejected the politics of PDM as its leaders were frantically trying to hide their corruption and misdeeds committed during their rule. He said that the governments cannot be forced to resign by arranging public meetings and taking out processions.

Pervez Khattak said that the PDM was bent on arranging public meetings to save its own leaders and blackmail Prime Minister Imran Khan to stop the accountability process launched by him to make those accountable who had plundered the national wealth.

He said that Rashakai Special Economic Zone was an important project of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which, he believed, would usher in a new era of development and prosperity in the region.

He said that he had signed an agreement with the Chinese government for establishing the SEZ in Rashakai when he was chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adding that jobs would be provided to those on priority basis who provided land for the project.

The defence minister urged the youth to acquire skill training and vocational education and learn Chinese language to take full benefits of the project in their home province.

He said that the Rashakai SEZ project had a status of backbone for the KP’s development and prosperity of its people as it would provide employment to over 0.2 million youths. Recounting the achievements of the PTI-led government, he said salaries of government employees were increased while tariffs of electricity and gas would not be raised in the next budget. He said that loans were being paid for the first time in the history of the country while foreign exchange reserves had exceeded 23 US dollars.