LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday interacted with visiting students of Gwadar and Balochistan and assured them that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will uplift their areas.

When a girl drew the attention of the chief minister towards the absence of basic facilities in her province, Shahbaz Sharif said: “The CPEC is a blessing and this project will prove a game changer. An airport is also being constructed in Gwadar besides an industrial”.

Responding to a student’s complaint about shortage of teachers in the Gwadar Institute of Technology, the chief minister said technology teachers from Punjab would be sent there. He said the future of fishermen of Gwadar was bright as latest technology would be introduced under the CPEC.

“After listening to brilliant students of Balochistan, I have come to the conclusion that there is vast talent in the province,” he said, adding unfortunately, people of Balochistan had some misunderstandings during the last 70 years and their grievances should have been redressed.

He said that some allegations were also leveled against Punjab but the present government had tried to counter them through sincere efforts. He said that under the NFC Award of 2009-10 the Punjab government had given Rs11 billion from its annual share to Balochistan

The Punjab government had also included the students of Balochistan and other federating units in its educational programme, he added.

The chief minister also distributed laptops among the visiting students.

Meanwhile, addressing the first Excellence Awards-2016 ceremony of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industry here on Wednesday, Shahbaz Sharif said traders and industrialists community had played a key role in strengthening of national economy and coping with the challenges faced by the country.

Published in Dawn December 22nd, 2016