KARACHI, Nov 4: President Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday the government was paying special attention to development of the country’s coastal line, which would not only promote domestic and foreign tourism but also attract foreign investment.

“Geographically, Pakistan is a unique country where you can find temperatures ranging from -50 to +50 degrees Celsius. We can trace our history to 8,000 years ago from Mahargarh to Indus civilisation and from (the conquest of) Alexander the Great to Mughal Empire,” President Musharraf said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the first ferry service between Karachi and Dubai at Karachi port.

“We have everything which can attract tourists. We just need to streamline the things. If we are able to attract domestic tourists, foreign tourists will automatically be attracted”, he said.

The president said the government was paying special attention to further develop the country’s beautiful coastal line, with special focus on Gwadar. He said he was going to lay the foundation stone of a five-star hotel in Gwadar next month.

Hailing the introduction of ferry service between Dubai and Karachi, Gen Musharraf said it would promote bilateral tourism and bring investment to the country.—Online