PESHAWAR   -  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan visited Torkham border on Friday where he inspected the border fencing and functions of different departments at Torkham. Spokesperson of provincial government Ajmal Wazir also accompanied the Chief Minister.  This was the first ever visit of any Chief Minister of the province to the erstwhile Khyber Agency and the present district Khyber.

Mahmood Khan was briefed about the functions of different departments at Torkham border where he listened to public complaints and ordered the administration to resolve their problems.  He added that the officials deployed at Torkham border should facilitate the ease of doing business. The Chief Minister said that the public sector entities and their officials should facilitate the trade activities.

He further said that Torkham, Ghulam Khan and other routes linking Central Asia via Afghanistan would emerge as the life-veins of the economy of the country in the wake of CPEC.  This region which used to be a trade corridor in the past was now fast becoming an energy corridor, he said. The western route and other developmental activities in the region would make this region the hub of trade and economic activities, he added. Mahmood Khan said that his government has already planned Reshakai industrial estate, Hattar industrial estate and 17 other industrial zones in the province.

The expressway from Peshawar to DI Khan and Gilgit to Chitral and Dir to Chakdara as an alternative route for the CPEC would integrate the province through a road communication network as the Swat Motorway was already in the completion phase, he said.  The integration of the province through road communication would promote economic activities in the whole region, he added.

The Chief Minister said that Pata including Malakand Division, erstwhile Fata and Hazara were being promoted on tourism lines and we have natural resources including the perennial water resources, which would be exploited for the benefit of the people and development of the province.   We would provide cheap electricity to encourage rapid industrialisation that would spread a network of economic activities, he said.

He said that job creation was one area of the government’s priorities and we should be prepared for the growing trend of investment and we have already planned the way forward.  We are training the youth to cope with the future challenges, he added.

Mahmood Khan said that it was unfortunate that no government in the past even thought for the people and the province but the PTI government took the first step for futuristic approach attracting investment and facilitating investors.  The provincial government was giving one window operation for investment facilitation in the province, he added. The Chief Minister said that Chashma Lift Irrigation project would bring a vast barren land under cultivation for agriculture productivity and to ensure food self sufficiency.

He said we are working to practically implement the vision of Imran Khan for the mass scale jobs creation through investment, industrialisation, boosting agriculture and commerce activities.

He assured that this province has the required potential, needing proper and scientific exploitation and each and every sector could emerge as a durable industrial sector.  These activities would enable the province to put its share in the mass scale jobs creation as per Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision, he said.

We would focus on the youth involving them in the productive sectors and promoting the culture of cottage industry, where the talented youth would start their own business and would give jobs to others as well.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister was briefed by the security officials about the border fencing and different activities.

He directed to resolve the problems on the border as expeditiously as possible.

Earlier, Mahmood Khan visited the residence of Federal Minister Dr Noor-ul-Haq Qadri where he condoled the death of his father Pir Hazrat Sheikh Gul.  He sympathised with the bereaved family and offered Fateha for the departed soul.