India spent money to spoil Kalabagh dam project: GB CM

LAHORE

Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Hafiz Hafeez-ur-Rehman has said that false propaganda is being fanned against China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) while people of Gilgit-Baltistan know that they were living in the Stone Age before the construction of Karakoram Highway. 

He was addressing the annual gettogether of Gilgit-Baltistan Student Council (GBSC) at Punjab University’s Al Raazi Hall here on Friday. 

PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, Ashraf Sadaa, Prof Dr Sajid Rashid, Mahboob Hussain, GBSC Chairman Nasir Mehdi, ex-Chairman  Hidayat  and a large number of students were also present. 

The Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) chief minister said that with the construction of one road, the Karakoram Highway, there had been significant change in all sectors of the region. He said the provinces where there was politics of provincialism at the cost of nationalism could not progress and concepts of sub-nationalism were deliberately promoted under a conspiracy. He said India invested money to spoil Kalabagh Dam project. He said if the dam had been built, the country would have benefited from it and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa could have been saved from flood-generated damages every year. He said GB was rich in cultural diversity but, unfortunately, the diversity was used for destroying peace of the region. He said the biggest challenge to the incumbent GB government was to restore peace, and now there was peaceful environment in the whole region.  He said the GB government had declared Karakorum International University as its think tank. He said the student organisations based on religion and politics caused damage to educational system. 

The GB chief minister said, "We are setting up economic zone in the province and the region would be connected with three more expressways. He said this year one million domestic tourists visited GB. He said, unfortunately, TV channels were spreading disappointment among the people while there were a lot of opportunities to progress in this country. He requested the youth to create a ray of hope among people.

He thanked Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif for helping government and people of Gilgit-Baltistan with the money of taxpayers of the people of Punjab. He said the first-ever MRI machine worth Rs 320 million donated by Mian Shahbaz Sharif would be inaugurated soon in GB. 

He also thanked Mian Shahbaz Sharif and Vice-Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran for providing scholarships to the GB students.  

Punjab projects: Galgit-Baltistan (GB) government will replicate Punjab’s safe city, e-vaccination and police projects to eradicate polio, terrorism and crime.  It was stated by GB Chief Minister Hafiz Hafeez-ur-Rehman during his visit to the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB). PITB Chairman Dr Umar Saif, who is also vice-chancellor of IT University, Lahore, briefed him on the diverse ICT interventions initiated in Punjab in the fields of education, health, law and order, e-governance and citizen facilitation services.

The meeting was followed by media conference in which the GB CM thanked PITB and the Punjab government for extending generous support to GB. He said the modern technology had brought about change in almost every sector of the Punjab government and it was hoped that it would be equally helpful in GB.  He said, "We want to make GB free from polio, crime, disease, illiteracy and terrorism, and looking forward to the Punjab government to assist us through flagship projects of PITB. The GB government is already working in collaboration with the Punjab government in many fields. I am highly inspired by the CM of Punjab, Shehbaz Sharif and seek guidance from him to make GB more efficient. The work done by Punjab government in e-governance is remarkable.” 

The GB CM criticised the former federal government for spending huge money on a futile safe city project in Islamabad. He lauded the Punjab government for completing the same programme with more CCTVs at less cost.

Expressing keen interest in setting up IT infrastructure in the province with the help of PITB, Hafiz Hafeez-ur-Rehman appreciated the Punjab chief minister for his dedication towards building a progressive nation.

Earlier, during a presentation, Dr Umar Saif said, “ We are already assisting federal, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balchistan and AJK governments in adopting ICT interventions and recently CM Sindh and Prime Minister AJK visited PITB in this connection. He said, "The Sind government has replicated our police interventions while Sri Lankan head of Export Development Board also expressed interest to benefit from PITB’s programmes. We are directed by the Punjab CM to assist all other provinces in the best interest of the public.” 

Dr Saif assured the GB CM of PITB’s every support. IT DG Operations Faisal Yousaf, IT DG Rizwan Rashid, e-Governance DG Sajid Latif, IT Solutions DG Waqar Naeem Qureshi, Citizen Facilitation Services Director Muhammad Waseem Bhatti and  Software Engineering Director Adil Iqbal Khan were also present.

MoU signed: Punjab University’s Department of Social Work and Community World Service Asia on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for humanitarian and development initiatives in different areas at the national and community level. 

According to a press release, the MoU signing ceremony was held at committee room of Vice Chancellor’s office. PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, Law College Principal Dr Shazia Naureen Qureshi, Department of Social Work Chairman Dr Zahid Javed,  Community World Service Asia Regional Director Farrukh Marvin Pervaiz, External Linkages Director Dr Maria Maldonado, Assistant Professor Sonia Omer, Dr Mahnaz Hassan Naqvi and Alia Khalid were present on the occasion. 

According to the MoU, thematic sessions to introduce students and faculty members to key themes include peace-building, human rights, minority and women rights, democracy and governance, the role of media in a democratic society and youth empowerment. The MoU aims at organising joint thematic sessions for civil society.