Daily Times

SWABI: Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Asad Qaiser has said that an industrial zone would be constructed near Karnal Sher Khan Interchange on the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway.

Speaking at a function at the University of Swabi here on Tuesday, he said that the industrial zone would be linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government made it clear to the federal government that the rights of the province would not be compromised.

Asad Qaiser asked the universities authorities to plant more trees in the campus in the current season. He inaugurated the recently completed block that included cafeteria, multipurpose building and sport gyms.

PTI united to highlight business friendly atmosphere: The Pakistan Tehrik Insaf (PTI) united to highlight the Business friendly atmosphere of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government through a seminar organized in collaboration with Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO).

PTI Chairman Imran Khan said that KP has been put on sound footings of transparency and eradication of corruption, while law and order situation has been fully controlled, thus an environment conducive for investment created and it is now for the investors to come forward and take benefit of the opportunity.

He revealed in a seminar, in which investors both local and from abroad participated besides Jehangir Tareen, Asad Umar, KP Ministers, Muhammad Atif, Akber Ayub, Shahram Khan Tarakai, Senators and MNAs.

He pointed out that KP has eradicated red-tapism and corruption which serve the two main impediments to investment. He added the institutions in KP are not only independent but are working in transparent manner and their capacities increased.

The Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization has initiated over 1200 MW hydel power generation projects in the Province, of which 514 MW is in the public sector and 300 MW in Balakot with Asian Development Bank funding and 668 MW with Private sector initiative. Currently PEDO is operating 105 MW hydel power projects and has identified 29 projects to generate 3900 MW electricity.

As Pakistan has the capacity of generating 60,000 MW hydel power generation of which only 7000 MW has so far been tapped and 60 per cent of it is in KP.

The Provincial Government is trying to initiate projects with a potential of 30,000 MW electricity thus it is encouraging the private sector to come forward and make investment in this sustainable and profitable sector.

Tahirkheli vows to form Regional Chamber of Minerals: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Minister for Minerals Development and Labor Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli vowed to form Regional Chamber of Minerals, consisting KP, Tribal Areas and Afghanistan for efficient exploitation of the mineral resources deposits in the region.

She was addressing a ceremony regarding the capacity building and training program for marble mines workers, arranged by Tribal Areas Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TACCI), at Peshawar.

The president TACCI Muhammad Shuaib Khan, Pattern in Chief Haji Ghulam Ali and mines workers of FATA who were under training, attended the ceremony. The Minister on this occasion added that our region has rich natural resources and precious minerals and there was a dire need for steps for its well utilization.

She said that KP and Tribal Areas share same geographical unit and that was the reason behind the provincial coalition government desire to include FATA in main stream KP by empowering people of the belt through collective trade.

The Minister underlined the need of mechanize mining to train mining workers as to ensure their safety and match international standard in the field. She lauded importing of training in marble mining by the Tribal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Anisa Zeb stressed upon the need of proper exploitation of natural resources existed in Tribal belt. She said that there have been huge potential of job and commerce in the area, adding that marketing of manpower was needed to properly avail these opportunities.