Border markets to transform local economies, check smuggling: Bajwa

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for the government’s focus on the uplift of areas that were previously neglected, his special assistant on information and broadcasting retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa said on Tuesday.

In a Twitter post, Bajwa, who also heads the CPEC Authority, said out of the 18 approved border markets, three, including Mand and Gabd to be set up in Balochistan and ShaheedanoDan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have been approved as a pilot project.

These markets will transform local economies, check smuggling and formalise trade with neighbouring countries, he maintained.

Integrate Remote areas:PM emphasised focus on earlier neglected areas.Out of approved 18, 3 border markets approved as pilot project;Mand&Gabd in Balochistan&ShaheedanoDan in KP,Will transform local economies,check smuggling&formalise trade with neighbours #PakistanMovingForward pic.twitter.com/24NqPJ8Uyg

— Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimSBajwa) September 22, 2020

On September 17, Prime Minister Imran Khan had accorded approval to set up trade markets along Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan and Iran. Presiding over a high-level meeting in Islamabad, the PM gave approval to establish 12 markets along Pak-Afghan border and six markets along Pak-Iran border.

The meeting decided to take effective measures to eliminate the menace of smuggling. Briefing the meeting, an official said that the border markets will be made functional by February, 2021.