QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has directed the officials concerned to prepare a plan for setting up markets on borders with Iran and Afghanistan to discourage smuggling.

Presiding over a meeting on implementation of development schemes on Thursday, the chief minister said steps should be taken for allotment of land for border markets.

He expressed the hope that the border markets would bring about a positive change in economic and financial sectors of Balochistan.

The decision about establishing border markets had been taken at a meeting of the Pak-Iran Joint Border Trade Commission held in Zahidan in October this year.

The meeting took various decisions to accelerate pace of work on new and ongoing development projects.

The chief minister directed all departments to follow rules and regulations in development schemes. He also directed that audit reports of all development schemes should be completed. Discussing development schemes regarding new schools, Turbat nursing centres, sports complexes and public-private partnership programmes, the chief minister ordered installation of solar system in Awaran following Awaran Model Town Project.

“In order to yield positive results of government schemes, we need to bring proficiency in all departments,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2019