PESHAWAR, Aug 19: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Monday said the province could not make progress in true sense until there was peace and stability in Afghanistan.
He said this while speaking to US Counsel General in Peshawar Robert G Read, who called on him at his office here along with aides, including Evan T Folsing, Richard Albright and Gregy Huger.
Additional chief secretary (planning and development) in the province Khalid Pervez, additional chief secretary (finance) Sahibzada Saeed and senior government officials were also present on the occasion.
According to a handout issued here, the overall situation of the region and issues related to the economic development of the province came under discussion.
The chief minister told visitors that said the Afghan war had badly affected the commercial and business activities between Kabul and Peshawar for a long time.
He said the Afghan war continued for more than three decades, distance of province from sea and lack of technical man power has inflicted irreparable loss to the economy of the province and the economic and commercial activities had come to a standstill. Mr Khattak said his government had sought the permission of the federal government to have economic and commercial centres in Afghanistan.
He said his government was working on putting in place a system of governance based on transparency, justice, and accountability and powers were being devolved at grassroots level.
“Due to the reforms of the provincial government, ours will be a model province. We will restore the trust of investors and donor agencies by ensuring transparency,” he said.
The chief minister reiterated his resolve to provide all-out facilities and protection to investors in the province.
He said the provincial government would not only encourage but would also provide all-out facilities and security to the foreign investors and private organisations interested in investing in social sector and public welfare schemes of the province.Mr Khattak his government wished to have business and trade partnership with foreign businessmen and donor agencies based on mutual trust instead of depending on foreign aid only.
The chief minister said a trustworthy and efficient government would be set up in the province through transparency, devolution of powers at grassroots level and an effective system of accountability and that way, the foreign investors and international agencies would feel comfort and ease to have in dealings with the provincial government.
He said besides all types of facilities and privileges, the provincial government would also provide full security to the investors.
Mr Khattak expressed the wish that investors of American and other parts of the glob should invest in industrial and social sector and in the construction of infrastructure in the province.
“The provincial government has constituted working groups consisting of professional and technocrats of both the public and private sectors for all the departments to implement the reform agenda,” he said.
The chief minister said the provincial government was committed to devolving powers to grassroots level, which would empower the local community to make administrative and financial decisions.