President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday said efforts were afoot to mainstream Gilgit Baltistan in diverse areas particularly education, health and information technology so as to ensure its economic prosperity.
In a meeting with newly-elected members of Gilgit Baltistan Assembly here at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the President said effective and sustainable steps would be taken to bring Gilgit Baltistan (GB) at par with rest of the developed areas of the country.
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur, Speaker Gilgit Baltistan Assembly Syed Amjad Ali Zaidi and Deputy Speaker attended the meeting.
President Alvi said the natural beauty of Gilgit Baltistan offered immense potential in tourism sector and stressed a strategy to maximum exploit the available opportunities. He said development in education and health sectors was important for prosperity of Gilgit Baltistan, adding that every possible effort would be made to resolve the problems in this regard. In view of the hurdles in online education, he said, proper infrastructure would be put in place and assured that funds would be released soon for provision of 4G broadband connection in the area. He mentioned that the recent elections in Gilgit Baltistan were held in a transparent manner.
President Alvi said China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would usher in a new era of economic development for GB and also prove beneficial for the economy of area. Also, the regional trade through Gwadar Port and enhancing the capacity of Karakorum Highway would put a positive impact on economy of GB, he added.
The President stressed the need for investment in food-processing sector to boost exports of local fruits. He also called for modern technology and infrastructure to benefit from the potential of GB’s mineral sector.
Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur said several development projects were on cards to promote areas of education, health, agriculture and fisheries in GB. He expressed hope that with improvement in irrigation system, the agriculture sector of GB would soon become self-sufficient. He said the federal government would extend every possible assistance to resolve the problems of Gilgit Baltistan and ensure its uplift.
Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday stressed the need for exempting electric wheel chairs, electric limbs and other accessories from customs duty in order to facilitate the differently-abled people (DAPs). The President emphasized the need for skill development of DAPs and ensuring implementation of disability quota for them in jobs. He said that the employment and health needs of DAPs were required to be addressed on priority basis.
The President made these remarks at a briefing given by Secretary, Ministry of Human Rights, Ikramullah Khan, on disability. The secretary briefed the meeting about the initiatives taken by his ministry for the welfare of differently-abled peoples.
Addressing the meeting, the President stated that DAPs were facing social and economic challenges and it was the collective responsibility of the government and society to empower them economically by providing them skills, jobs and other necessary facilities. He asked the Ministry of Human Rights to constitute a committee of experts to define the level of disability in every field. He also emphasized upon the need for training the teachers for inclusive education of DAPs.
