October 25, 2002	Friday	Sha’aban 18,1423

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GILGIT, Oct 24: The Northern Areas possess tremendous potentials in tourism, minerals and water resources that needed exploitation through foreign investment and provision of opportunities should be ensured to boost tourism industry in the region so that national and foreign investment could be attracted.

This was stated by the Northern Areas Chief Executive and Federal Information Minister Nisar A Memon while inaugurating the Conference on Investment and Tourism Promotion in the Northern Areas held at a local hotel in Gilgit on Thursday.

He said that the Northern Areas provided a gateway to the Central Asian States, China, Afghanistan and Europe due to its peculiar location as the area was gifted with the world’s high altitude peaks, longest glaciers outside the polar region, lakes, waterfalls and could be the most attractive destination for tourists across the globe if appropriate measures were taken for its development and sustainability.

He urged the investors of the conference to invest in infrastructure development, particularly in tourism, minerals and hydroelectric projects so that the region could register a sustainable and durable prosperity.

Mr Khair Muhammad Junejo, the Federal Minister for Agriculture and Food along with Sami Haqani, the Chairman of the Board of investment, also presided over the sessions of the conference.

Col (retd) S.K. Tressler, Federal Minister for Tourism, Youth Affairs and Sports, also spoke on the occasion and said that like Karachi a hi-tech tourism information centre would be established soon in Gilgit.

He also disclosed that Karakoram Car Rally, which was postponed because of the 9/11 situation, shall be resumed in April, next year. He also said that China had declared Pakistan a tourist destination for which he paid rich tribute to China for this kind gesture.

Talking about future tourism targets, Mr Tressler said that their targeted tourist were the Bhudists and the Sikhs (religious tourism), as we had plenty of religious/touristic sites for these two religious people.

GENDER POVERTY: Earlier, speaking at a National Conference on Gender Poverty jointly organized by KANA ministry, Ministry of Women Development and the United Nations on Thursday at Gilgit, Mr Nisar Memon said that the present government was serious about women empowerment and that was why the present government had, for the first time, allocated over 60 seats to women in parliament.

Besides, he said, the government had already announced a comprehensive policy for women empowerment. Similarly, he said they had already established a women development department in Northern Areas which would be headed by a woman. A woman from the present five women councilors of the NALC should be appointed to lead this department so that she could effectively and realistically emancipate and develop womanfolk in the region.