Western route integral part of CPEC: Khattak 

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Tuesday said the western route was an integral part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and an additional all weather route connecting Gilgit to Dir and Chakdara via Chitral and Shandur had already been made part of the game-changer project.

He was talking to the newly-elected office-bearers of the Peshawar Press Club at a dinner hosted at the Chief Minister’s House Peshawar, said an official handout. Special Assistant to Chief Minister for Information and Higher Education Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani and Secretary Information Arshad Majeed were also present.

The chief minister said the greater Peshawar Mass Transit would connect six districts covering transportation to 41 percent of the total population of the province. The chief minister said the Rashakai Industrial City would be developed on 40, 000 kanals of land. He hoped the province would see massive industrialisation and relocation of labour intensive industrial units from China.

Pervez Khattak said 1700 megawatts electricity would be produced from the surplus water resources under the CPEC. He said the provincial government would hold a road show in Beijing towards the end of March to market the natural advantages of the province.

The chief minister said he had succeeded in achieving the provincial rights. The KP government, he added, was about to sign an agreement with Frontier Works Organisation for construction of two smart towns in Peshawar and Rashakai.

Pervez Khattak deplored that in the past corruption and corrupt practices had become the brand name for the KP because of the misrule. “The KP government made laws, revamped the public sector entities and ended interference. It has stopped corruption and led to an open and transparent governance in the province which has been even taken well by the international community,” he added.

The chief minister said that 6th Joint Coordination Committee meeting on the CPEC had in principle taken a numbers of projects of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The 123 km long greater Peshawar Mass Transit connecting Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Peshawar within an additional 103 Km track would further connect Swabi and Malakand, provide efficient transportation to the 41 percent of the total population of the province.

He said that Gilgit-Shandur, Chitral, Chakdara had emerged to be the alternate route and would be all weather route of the CPEC. “This will cost Rs.280 billion and would be 586 km long.” The chief minister hoped this road would open up Central Asian Republic through Wakhan in the future.

The province, he added, had proposed additional 10 hydel power projects with a capacity to produce 2157 megawatt of electricity. Pervez Khattak said the KP would have eight more cements industries out of the 12 sites already identified and this would bring another $2 billion investment in the province.

Earlier, talking to a delegation of SINOMAC investment Company at Chief Minister’s House here, the chief minister said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa offered best investment opportunities in hydro Hydro, Gas and Solar energy and mining sectors.

He added that new roads connecting Pakistan with China and Central Asia, transport and mass transit, industrial sector particularly heavy machine manufacturing plant in Rashakai, CPEC Tower in Peshawar and agriculture and vocational training were some other areas which could be taken for huge investment in the backdrop of CPEC.

The Chinese delegation was led by Peter Tien, President Princeton Environment group China Miss Fengying Wang, GM China SINOMAC Corporation, Minister for Industry, Mines & Mineral Aneesa Zaib Tahir Kheli, Chairman EZDMC Ghulam Dastagir and others attended.