Rashakai Economic Zone ready for inauguration, says CM

SWABI: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said on Saturday that the Rashakai Economic Zone was ready and Prime Minister Imran Khan would inaugurate it soon.

He was addressing a public meeting at Saleem Khan village. National Assembly Speakers Asad Qaiser, Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak also addressed the gathering. Some influential families announced quitting the Awami National Party and joining the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on the occasion.

Rashakai Economic Zone would be built under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and it is expected that about 250,000 locals would get jobs in it. The chief minister said that the extension of Swat Motorway to Badian, expressway to Dera Ismail Khan, Chitral-Shandur Road and various other projects have been included in the CPEC. He said the government was faced with the gigantic task of merging the tribal districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan played a great role in sanctioning Rs83 billion for the development of the tribal region.

Mahmood Khan said that that Pehur High Level Canal (PHLC) extension project would now cost Rs18 billion and now about 250,000 acre arid land of the district would be irrigated after its completion. The chief minister said that the artificial price-hike would be controlled and the prices of essential commodities would be reduced, adding that the consumers would soon feel the difference. Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak, who also attended the gathering, said that the government had taken tough decisions for putting the economy on the right track. The government borrowed money from various countries and the International Monetary Fund to pay back the loans of previous governments.

Criticising the opposition, he said that if these political parties had a better programme the government would follow that. In the same breath he said that if they (opposition parties) had good ideas they would not have faced defeat in the election. He alleged that the opposition parties looted Pakistan with both hands, misled the people, transferred the money abroad through illegal means.

He said that successive governments of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were responsible for the prevailing economic mess. Khattak said the PTI assumed power in a difficult economic situation and said that Prime Minister Imran Khan saved the country from going bankrupt. National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser spoke in detail about CPEC, provision of gas to the consumers across the district, resolution of the the problems confronted by tobacco growers in Swabi.

Qaiser said the PTI established the Women University Swabi, provided funds for building of University of Swabi, set up the Gajju Khan Medical College, upgraded several hospitals, rebuilt the broken roads and constructed sport complex. “Many more development projects including the new electricity gridstation, reconstruction of Swabi-Mardan road are in the pipeline,” he said. He said that those who had joined the ruling party would be given due respect.