Foreign companies shortlist Balochistan’s rich mineral, natural resources

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that international companies had been expressing their keen interest in rich mineral and natural resources of Balochistan province due to the government’s policies.

With 347,190km² total area, Balochistan is home to nearly $1 trillion worth of mineral deposits, including, gold, copper, black pearl, valuable stones, coal, chromite, barite, sulphur, marble, iron ore, quartzite, limestone, oil, and natural gas, according to data.

It is pertinent to mention here that the province has the largest land area and livestock in any province of Pakistan and is ideally located for trade with Afghanistan, Iran, Central Asia, and Persian Gulf countries. The official said that the province allows both Pakistan and Iran a strategic space to shorten trade and travel costs.

Addressing an 87-member delegation of the national security workshop in Islamabad, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the government is paying full attention to the infrastructure development and economic prosperity of Balochistan. He said the exploration and proper utilization of mineral resources would open a new chapter of progress and prosperity in the province.

He also said that the federal and the provincial governments had been cooperating to provide sports facilities and play grounds to the young people of the province. He also informed the gathering that the province and its residents would avail immensely with the exploration of the natural resources.

CPEC FOR ALL

About China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the mega infrastructure and development initiative would benefit the whole country specially Balochistan and would usher in an era of progress and prosperity. With the development of Gwadar Port as an economic hub of the country, the whole province would reap fruits, he said.

With examples of Germany and the United States, he said that Japan by focusing upon the human development had joined the comity of developed nations despite having faced immense losses during the World War-II – a global war between two opposing military alliances that lasted from 1939 to 1945.

He told the delegation that Pakistan had been blessed with huge resources and human resource capital with a great potential. He said that Pakistan’s northern areas are double the size of Switzerland besides being rich with picturesque beauty. He said that there existed a huge potential of tourism in the northern areas besides religious tourism.

PM PAYS TRIBUTE TO SWITZERLAND

The prime minister said that Switzerland generated revenue of around $80 billion merely from the tourism sector which is more than the total exports of Pakistan which stood at $25 billion. He said that literate people, cleanliness facilities and a disciplined society are the basic factors behind success of tourism sector in Switzerland.

He said that a long term future planning is essential to utilize the human resource and counter the national challenges as had been done by China. Referring to the issues of water in Quetta, Lahore and Karachi, he said that such serious problems had been ignored in the past that had led to their deterioration.

He said that the pace of country’s agriculture development is lower than the developed countries despite Pakistan being rich with fertile land and sufficient water. He said that the national economy could be stabilized to a great extent only if the country enhanced its agriculture produce by taking advantage of the latest technology.

CHINESE EXPERTISE IN AGRICULTURE

He said that the government had decided to take benefit from the Chinese expertise in the sector and is focusing on the agriculture technology transfer. Agriculture is an important sector of Pakistan’s economy, as this sector directly supports the country’s population and accounts for 26 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Agriculture is considered the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, which relies heavily on its major crops that include cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits and vegetables. Pakistan’s irrigation system belongs to one of the world’s largest systems to support agricultural production. Experts suggested use of land and water resources more efficiently to improve agricultural production.