LAHORE, Sept 22: NWFP Governor Lt-Gen Syed Iftikhar Husain Shah (retired) has said that some people want to politicize the Kalabagh dam issue while others take it as a technical matter.

“The matter can be resolved by addressing both the political and technical aspects of the issue,” he said on Monday while speaking at a meeting of the executive committee members of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) here.

He said that the NWFP government was trying to involve private sector in the generation and distribution of hydel power.

He said there was a great potential for direct foreign and local investment in this field.

He said the feasibility study of various hydel power projects with a total power potential of more than 6000 megawatts had been completed.

The NWFP government had taken a number of steps for development and implementation of hydel power projects, he said, and added: “ A Rs6.5 billion Malakand III hydel power generation project has been launched.”

Electricity generated from this project would be utilized in the province, he said, and added that an industrial estate was being developed adjacent to the power house.

Mr Shah said that the export processing zones (EPZs) at both Gadoon Amazai and Risalpur were viable projects.

He said that the Gadoon Industrial Estate was developed to provide jobs to local farmers who had become unemployed after the ban on the cultivation of poppy crop.

The NWFP governor said that entrepreneurs from various parts of the country invested in the Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate by setting up their units. The estate experienced problems when the entrepreneurs closed down their units after reaping all concessions and benefits, he added.

He was optimistic that exports for Afghanistan from the Risalpur EPZ would be allowed in near future.

Mr Shah urged the business community to take benefit from the opportunities presently available in the neighbouring Afghanistan.

“We have the advantage of language, culture and geographical proximity in case of Afghanistan; it is the time for us to act and move quickly.”

Supporting the idea for a free trade pact with Afghanistan, Mr Shah said that such an agreement would help increase Pakistani exports to the country.

The NWFP governor said that some 170 Afghan trading houses attended the ‘rebuild Afghanistan trade fair’ at Peshawar, and signed business deals worth US $220 million with the Pakistani entrepreneurs.

He said that the number of exportable items to Afghanistan had been increased. This would help increase Pakistani exports to the country.

Responding to a question, the NWFP governor said that the law enforcing agencies were being shifted to the border area. “We want to check the smuggling at source. However, the Pakistan-Afghanistan border is very porous because of insufficient number of law enforcing agencies personnel posted there.”

About the stress on the NWFP in the post-September 11 scenario, Mr Shah said that the law and order situation in the province was quite satisfactory in the province.

He said that the development of infrastructure was taking place in the NWFP at a brisk pace.

The Kohat tunnel was functioning and work on the Lowari tunnel would be started soon.

The Gomal Zam Dam was at the implementation stage and the feasibility study of Kurram Tangi Dam was expected to be completed within next six months.

The Rawalpindi-Kohat-Thall-Parachinar Road was being handed over to the National Highway Authority (NHA). When completed, this road would provide another international route to Central Asia states through Afghanistan, he added.

Mr Shah said that big reservoirs of copper, coal and soap stone had been discovered in Waziristan, Orakzai and Kurram agencies.

In Waziristan, about 8 million tonns of copper ore with an average of 0.8 per cent copper content had been identified so far.

Regarding the potential in the agriculture field, Governor Shah said that the NWFP could take benefit of the horticultural produce surpluses by setting up storage, processing, treatment and packaging facilities in Swat, Dera Ismail Khan and Mardan.

The tea growing potential of Mansehra and Swat was being evaluated and two pilot tea-processing plants had been set up there.

He said that country’s Rs12 billion tea market could be captured only by seriously working in the field of tea plantation.

Governor Shah said that suitability of climate had created vast potential for the growth and export of olive.

He said that the business community of the Punjab and NWFP should join hands to cope with the challenges of WTO regime.

“It is the time to chalk out special programmes to create awareness about WTO protocol and its implications on Pakistan’s trade and industry, especially on the business community,” he said.

Earlier, LCCI President Muhammad Yawar Irfan Khan presented the address of welcome.—APP