ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday directed the authorities concerned to finalize the proposal for establishing trade markets in the frontier regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to provide employment opportunities to the people as an alternative to the smuggling. Chairing a meeting to discuss the proposal of the trade markets held here, the prime minister appreciated the idea and called for its early finalization to ensure timely execution of the project. Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, special assistants to prime minister Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan and Yousuf Baig Mirza, and secretaries of the relevant divisions attended the meeting. The prime minister was briefed in detail about the steps being taken to curb the smuggling in the frontier regions particularly the western parts and the proposal to establish the trade markets in those areas as an income source for the people in place of the smuggling. In his remarks, the prime minister told the meeting that being a scourge to the national economy, smuggling did not only damage the national resources and income but also the industrial sector. He said it was the government’s priority to curb the smuggling but at the same time, it was also alive to the economic problems being faced by the people of the frontier regions particularly the youth. He said the proposal to establish the trade markets in such areas was laudable that would accelerate the economic activities besides providing employment to the youth.