Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said that the provincial government would market its potential advantages in the Chinese market during a high-level provincial delegation visit to China in the August.
The chief minister was presiding over a meeting at the CM Secretariat on Sunday. Provincial Education Minister Muhammad Atif Khan, Chief Secretary Amjad Ali Khan, Home, Finance and Irrigation Department administrative secretaries, KP Oil and Gas Company Limited (KPOGCL) chief executive officer, Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO) chief executive and KP Board of Investment and Trade attended the meeting.
The chief minister said that the KP province is replete with natural resources and his government is going all out to explore, exploit and market these advantages. The provincial government would offer the potential investors to come and invest in KP and get more dividend of their invested money, he said, and added that his government has already planned facilitation of potential investors through one window operation.
Khattak said that his government has tracked the province towards a rapid industrialisation. The province is about to use its natural gas and hydel potential to properly and systematically harness it for the benefit of people and progress and development of the province, he added.
“If we could not use these resources for the future of our people and development of our province then these resources would be of no use,” he said.
The chief minister said that the overall vision, his government has for the expeditious development of the province, would bring about a change in the life of the poor. He said that they will have employment, more earnings, better future prospects which will lead the province to stand on its own feet. He hoped that the province would attract potential investment for its natural advantages.
The delegation visiting China will explore possibilities of a circular railway around Peshawar. The delegation plans to implement a plan where the quality of the railway track and transportation would exceed that of Punjab Orange Line Project. The delegation will negotiate government-to-government power generation of 225 MW going up to 500 MW.
In first phase, the Chinese government in collaboration with the KP government will set a power generation plant of 225 MW going up to 500 MW. This would serve energy needs of many industrial setups and the industrial estates to be made by government of China for Chinese investors. Due to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, many Chinese companies want to invest in Pakistan.
In addition, the steel, garments and stitching sectors are in the priority list of industries. The rates of Chinese labour have raised up to $ 4,000 while that of Pakistan is $ 1,500, hence making Pakistan attractive for labour intensive industries in China.
The visit will also explore possibilities of bringing Chinese automobile manufacturers to Pakistan. Since Pakistan has huge potential in automotive sector and breaking the monopoly of Japanese cars, the delegation will try to highlight opportunities of Pakistani market.
