GILGIT: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday termed Gilgit-Baltistan world’s most beautiful mountainous region and said with improved road connectivity and Skardu International Airport, GB was about to turn into a top destination for local and foreign tourists, ensuring prosperity in the region.

He said Skardu airport was previously used only for domestic flights. However, its status was elevated on December 2 when it began welcoming international flights as well.

Addressing a large crowd at Municipal Stadium in Skardu, the prime minister said the facility’s elevation to international airport would bring untold changes for the locals.

Earlier, Prime Minister Khan inaugurated Skardu International Airport and Jaglot-Skardu road during his day-long visit to GB.

Highlighting tourism potential of GB, he said he had widely travelled the world but nowhere seen a splendid mountainous range like that of GB.

The premier said GB had the most beautiful mountainous scenery in the world but lamented that people did not know enough about it because travel to the region was difficult.

He predicted that tourists, including overseas Pakistanis and domestic tourists, would arrive here in large numbers after the upgrade of the airport and construction of the road.

“Tourism can become a big asset of Pakistan,” he said. “If Switzerland can earn $70 billion from tourism, Pakistan can also generate substantial income from tourism. We can earn at least $30billion to $40bn from tourism just in GB.”

The prime minister also highlighted religious tourism and untapped potential of coastal belt of the country. “We have not taken benefit of the blessings God has granted us,” he said.

He said the locals would benefit the most from surge in tourism as they would no longer have to venture far to seek jobs. Instead, people would come to their area to find jobs.

The prime minister advised the locals not to sell their land to outsiders.

“The people of GB will soon witness an unprecedented era of prosperity with revenue generation and creation of employment opportunities through tourism, he said.

Explaining his vision, he said that no country could truly develop until it elevated its poor people and improved its backward and neglected areas. “It is my desire that by the time our five years [in government] are over, the life in backward areas is better and the lives of people below the poverty line are improved.”

Imran Khan lauded the National Highway Authority and the Frontier Works Organisation for completion of Jaglot-Skardu road project.

He said a country could not progress unless it uplifted its neglected and unprivileged segments of the society.

The prime minister said he was giving priority to development of the areas that lacked facilities of communication and health, including G-B, Balochistan, erstwhile tribal areas and southern Punjab.

He said a society was known for its socio-economic justice where poor and rich had access to basic facilities of life.

The PM said his government had taken a number of steps for welfare of the masses and added that he wanted a major improvement in the lives of the underprivileged on completion of his tenure.

He said from today, the government had initiated provision of basic food items on subsidised rates.

Work on expanding the network of universal health insurance of Rs1 million for a household was underway after its launch in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, he said.

Earlier speaking on the occasion, GB Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid Khan said the prime minister had approved many projects to meet power and road needs of the region.

After completion of Gilgit-Shandur road and Shontor tunnel projects, he said, GB would have road connectivity with rest of the country through three roads.

He thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for visiting the region amid harsh weather conditions.

GB Governor Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon, Speaker of GB Legislative Assembly Amjad Ali Zaidi, Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmed, members of the GB cabinet and assembly, PTI workers and a large number of people from all districts of GB participated in the event.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2021