CPECBULLETIN Your Ultimate Guide To CPEC
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said Advocate claimed on Saturday that the CPEC had special significance for Chitral due to its proximity with China and Central Asian republics and the flurry of economic activities to be started here will eliminate poverty and indigence from this area. Muzaffar announced to revise the policy to favour the district while he also announced release of development budget for Chitral, which remained snow-clad for four months of the year starting from December, during which no construction work is possible.
PESHAWAR:Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said Advocate claimed on Saturday that Jamaat-e-Islami compelled the federal government to consider Malakand Division in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
He was addressing a congregation of elites of Chitral. He said that the CPEC had special significance for Chitral due to its proximity with China and Central Asian republics and the flurry of economic activities to be started here will eliminate poverty and indigence from this area.
He said that being partner in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, the JI took a number of initiatives including making recitation and translation of Quran compulsory at school level, banning the interest on loans and inclusion of Islamic teachings in the curricula of schools.
The minister said that the coalition government in the province had taken a number of steps which were unprecedented in nature. He cited recruitment of 40 thousand teachers in the government-run schools on merit.
Earlier, the minister attended a briefing in the office of deputy commissioner Chitral about the status of development in the district which was attended by Nazim Maghfirat Shah, DC Irshad Sodhar and DPO Syed Ali Akbar Shah.
He was told that both development and non-salary budget of the devolved departments had been cut by half, creating myriad of issues for the district government.
Muzzaraf announced to revise the policy to favour the district and asked the district government to take up the case with him while he also announced release of development budget for Chitral, which remained snow-clad for four months of the year starting from December, during which no construction work is possible.
The minister attended another briefing of conservationists from different parts of the country, who were on their tour to Chitral, who apprised him of the issues related to environment in Chitral. He was told that Chitral Gol National Park had many peculiarities but a chunk of its area had been grabbed by some influential persons. The minister asked wildlife department to proceed against the encroachers as per law.
The minister admitted the fact that due attention to the environmental issues was yet to be given by the government with special reference to the diversity of wildlife which, he said, attracted tourists in an area and heralded a healthy and clean environment there.
