News Details

11/08/2017

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak has appreciated the interest of Rosemari Hilhorst, the Country Director of British Council for her commitment to invest in KP

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak has appreciated the interest of Rosemari Hilhorst, the Country Director of British Council for her commitment to invest in KP and strong mutual ties with the province. He assured the provincial government was ready for absolute facilitation adding that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has become the most attractive destination for investment. He said his government has prioritized the establishment of transparent system and independent institutions. The government’s pro investment policies giving maximum attraction to the investors has attracted both the domestic and foreign investors and the province was open to the investors. “CPEC has enhanced the importance of the province” and was fast becoming the center of trade and industrialization, he added. He said the Chinese and other foreign investors were keen to invest in the province, he added. He said the provincial government had recently concluded dozens of MoUs for different schemes in the road show in Beijing and these MoUs were now translated into agreements. He was talking to a delegation of British Council Pakistan led by Rosemari Hilhorst who called on him at Chief Minister Secretariat Peshawar. Head of Stretegic Support Unit Sahibzada Saeed and other concerned officers were also present. Matters of mutual interest came up for discussion during the meeting. The Chief Minister thanked the British Council and its Country Director for taking interest and investing in education and other sectors of the province. He said that his government had good relations with Chinese and other governments and wanted to translate these relations into mutually beneficial trade. His government was taking steps in this regard, he added. He said the province lagged behind in industrialization and investment because it had inappropriate environment and there were certain reasons behind it. However, he said his government reformed the whole system making it pro investment that was leading to industrialization in the province, specially because of CPEC the foreign investors were coming to the province and his government had offered unmatched concession through one window operation to the potential investors. Different agreements were being put on ground that were agreed in the recent Beijing Road Show in the backdrop of CPEC, he remarked. Pervez Khattak said his government was expecting to earn 10 billion dollars in the coming six to seven years because of different agreements his government concluded with different parties. His government was establishing 17 industrial zones throughout the province and therefore it was establishing vocational training institution to produce skilled manpower so that the province could be prepared for the coming investment in the province, he added. He said these training institutes were being established with the Pakistan Air Force, Chinese companies, Frontier Works Organization and other investment companies. The provincial government would provide skilled manpower to the investors and different companies on demand. These institutes would be established in the relevant economic zones, he added. The Chief Minister also threw light on his government reforms in education, health and other social sectors adding that the standardization of schools was almost complete. Staff and missing facilities to schools have been covered up and English medium schooling has been started at primary level in the province. This would give an equal playing field to all. The teachers were made responsible and his government introduced a policy to award teachers for showing excellent results, he added. Pervez Khattak said his government has already done a number of agreements with international universities for transfer of technologies, exchange of faculty and research oriented agreements. An agreement with Tsinghua University Beijing has been concluded recently adding that his government has also taken revolutionary steps in health sector reforming the whole health sector for the provision of efficient healthcare to the people and Sehat Insaf Card was pro poor initiative of his government that was appreciated internationally. Under the Sehat Insaf Card 24 Lakh families would get free healthcare in the province, he added. Country Director British Council appreciated the reforms of the provincial government and took interest to investor in education and modern technology in the province. <><><><><>