PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur said on Wednesday that not only would his government encourage private sector investment in the province, but it would extend all-out support to all investors as well.

“We are committed to infrastructure and urban development and promoting investment and ease-of-doing business in the province,” the chief minister told a meeting at the Chief Minister’s House here.

The meeting, which he chaired, discussed the development of the housing sector in the province as well as matters related to the new housing schemes in both the public and private sectors, according to an official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

Provincial ministers Arshad Ayub and Fazal Hakeem, Mathra tehsil chairman Inaamullah Khan, administrative secretaries of the relevant departments, the commissioner of Peshawar division, the deputy commissioner of Peshawar district, and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

Promises all-out govt support to them

The chief minister said that the development of housing infrastructure in accordance with contemporary requirements, especially on the urban periphery, was direly needed, so his government was ensuring it was a priority.

He directed authorities to take steps to attract and facilitate private sector investment in the province.

Mr Gandapur also said that necessary changes to the legal framework should be proposed for simplifying mechanisms in order to attract the maximum private investment in the province.

“All these efforts will bring a positive change to the lives of our people by promoting a conducive environment, creating employment opportunities, and boosting the overall economic landscape of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,” he said.

The chief minister added that the housing department and all other stakeholders would have to work under a “realistic and integrated” strategy for the purpose.

He directed authorities to speed up work on the New Peshawar Valley Project and said that the project should be executed in phases under the build, operate, and transfer formula.

Mr Gandapur also said all ongoing and new housing schemes should be completed as soon as possible.

He said that the successful execution of all those projects would not only provide good housing to the residents, but they would also result in a substantial increase in the revenue of his government by generating investment and economic activity in the province.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2024