A high-level meeting on Saturday decided to reopen the big industrial units at Bara, Khyber Agency.
All the small industrial units in Bara had been re-opened a month earlier. The re-opened industrial units included Ghee, steel, plastic and cigarette industries.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sardar Mahtab Ahmed Khan at the Governor’s House. Senator Ilyas Bilour, Senator Mohsin Aziz, office-bearers of FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chambers of Commerce and Industries, high officers and leading industrialists attended the meeting.
Addressing the participants, Governor Mahtab disclosed that reopening of industrial units, which remained closed since 2009, reflected the fact that the area was going towards normalcy.
He said with the revival of 150 closed industrial units in Bara, thousands of people would get job opportunities. He said repatriation of IDPs to their homes was underway since March 16 and till now 280,000 people of 40,000 families had gone to their homes while repatriation of all the IDPs of Khyber Agency would materialise till the end of August this year.
Governor Mahtab said that sacrifices offered by the security forces in eliminating terrorism from the tribal belt was a bright chapter in the history of the country.
He said the role played by the industrialists in reopening of the closed industrial units at Bara was greatly commendable. He said the government would provide all possible assistance and facilities to the industrialists in this regard.
Sardar Mahtab said that the gallant jawans of Army, security agencies, political administration and the patriot tribesmen offered sacrifices that resulted in bringing peace and stability in the tribal areas.
The governor said reopening the Bara closed industries was not only the start of economic activities in the area but showed confidence of the investors and tribal population in the efforts of the government.
He said repatriation of the IDPs and reopening of the closed industrial units was the a starting point of the reconstruction, rehabilitation and economic stability in the tribal areas and the sacrifices offered by the tribesmen would not be ignored at any cost.
He categorically stated that the terrorists would not be allowed to come to the tribal belt again. He disclosed that Rs. 1.5 billion had been allocated for the rehabilitation, reconstruction and infrastructure in the tribal areas.
