PESHAWAR, July 23: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has said the provincial government has proposed to the federal government that a consortium of investors from Pakistan and Afghanistan should be formed to boost bilateral trade between the two countries.
Speaking at a meeting held at the Frontier House here on Wednesday the chief minister said that sanctions had already been granted to widen and improve the Peshawar-Torkham road, while the road from Bannu to Ghulam Khan checkpoint in the North Waziristan Agency to Gardez in Afghanistan would also be extended.
These steps, he observed, would go a long way in boosting bilateral trade between the two neighbouring countries, hoping the two projects would also open up new avenues to improve trade activity beyond Afghanistan and into the central Asian republics.
Mr Durrani regretted that no sincere efforts had been made in the past to promote mineral-based industry in the NWFP. He alleged that governments in the past had formulated flawed investment policies to please a handful of people.
He said that incentives and facilities were being provided to local and foreign investors and a new direction was set to put the province on the path of progress and prosperity.
The chief minister pointed out that due to the fact the province was far away from seaport, it could not achieve considerable industrial growth.
Owing to huge expenditures incurred on transportation of raw material, investors in the NWFP could not compete with their counterparts from the rest of the country, he said.
Mr Durrani said that the MMA government was striving to establish new and revive old industries and had approached the federal government in this regard. He said that the federal government had assured him of its full cooperation.
He said that a new department was being set up for packaging of dates produced in the southern districts, while a separate entity was to be established for the promotion of marble industry in the province.
He said that future of investment was promising in view of the exemplary law and order situation and investment-friendly steps taken by the provincial government.
Mr Durrani urged the investors to help explore the mineral deposits of gypsum, precious stones, coal and phosphates, and promised to provide guarantees to protect their investment.
He said that investors in the Middle East, Europe and the United States had expressed their interest in investing money in many projects in the NWFP.
He said that the Canadian investors too had expressed their interest in investing money in coal mines, hydel power, housing and automobile industry in the province.