Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has said that the provincial government will market its resources in Chinese market during an upcoming visit of a delegation of the KP government to China in August.

The province is replete with natural resources and the provincial government will make all-out efforts to explore, exploit and market them in Chinese market, said the chief minister while presiding over a meeting to sketch out an imminent visit of a delegation to China, said an official statement on Sunday.

The chief minister said that the provincial government would offer incentives to the potential investors to invest in range of fields and get more dividends. The provincial government has planned to facilitate investors through one-window operation, he added. Khattak said that his government has put the province on road to progress. “The province is about to use its natural gas and hydel potential properly for benefit of the people,” he said, adding that foreign investment in the province would provide employment opportunities, which would lead to better economic indicators. He said the delegation would also discuss possibilities of establishing a circular railway project in Peshawar. The delegation will also negotiate prospects of producing 225MW to 500MW electricity, he said.

“This will add to energy needs of industrial units and the industrial estates to be established by the Chinese government for Chinese investors,” he maintained. Referring to cheap labour in Pakistan, the chief minister said that rate of Chinese labour has risen up to $4,000 while that of Pakistan is $1,500, which makes Pakistan more attractive for labour incentive industries. He said the visit would 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 the Pakistani market offers,” he concluded. Provincial Education Minister Muhammad Atif Khan, KP Chief Secretary Amjad Ali Khan, administrative secretaries of Home, Finance and Irrigation departments, KPOGCL chief executive officer, Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO) chief executive officer and KP Board of Investment and Trade CEO attended the meeting.