LASBELA: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday stressed upon development of beach and coastline tourism in Balochistan by properly exploring the unseen tourism potential of different areas which could lead to generation of huge revenues.
Addressing a gathering of local people here after tree plantation drive and inspection of mangrove forest at the Sonmiani beach, the prime minister said that it was the job of the government to change living standards of the people though bringing in drastic changes.
He observed that every area had some different characteristics, adding that they must also concentrate upon those tourism spots which could attract Muslim population across the world.
The prime minister citing reason for making the country an attractive destination for the Muslims, said that due to Islamophobia across the globe, the Muslims were reluctant to go to the Western or European countries along with their families for tourism.
He further said that government planned to develop the beach tourism and would seek scientific suggestions from the quality consultants in this regard.
On the occasion, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Kamal and other provincial authorities were also present.
The prime minister said that the hilly or mountainous areas were developed by the British during their rule, but these areas were being degraded slowly, citing an example of Murree which had been seen quite changes due to huge construction.
For the first time, the government was developing new hilly terrains and exploring other scenic spots to attract maximum tourists, he added.
He said that the country’s coastline remained unexplored and also emphasized upon reservation and increase of mangrove forests as they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen in abundance.
The prime minster said that he was mesmerised with the beauty of the area. Allah Almighty had blessed the country with precious resources; he said and regretted that in the past, the people did not do justice with these natural gifts.
The prime minister underlined the need of valuing these gifts with proper development and planning.
He said that once, these areas were developed into tourism spots, they would help change lives of the local people, create jobs with better education and health facilities.
He also said that the world was experiencing severe climatic impacts in forms of flooding and forest fires, affecting different parts of the globe.
He further said that Pakistan had already been taking lead in the global efforts to reverse climatic change impacts.
A recent report of UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), comprising a group of scientists, maintained that human activities was changing the temperature of the world in an unprecedented way, the prime minister said, warning that the rise in temperature would make the globe uninhabitable planet if immediate measures were not taken by the world community.
The prime minister noted that Balochistan province lacked behind in terms of progress and development due to lack of interest by the former federal governments.
The previous rulers preferred to reside in London without taking pains to visit these neglected areas and Baloch leaders also did not pay attention to the province, he added.
The premier said that for the first time in the country’s history, the federal government was spending a huge amount of Rs1 trillion for the development of Balochistan.
Such an amount was never allocated or spent in the province, he said, linking progress of Balochistan province with the development of the whole country.
He expressed the resolve that government would provide all the basic facilities to the residence of the province.
The prime minister further noted that the province was rich with massive mineral resources and if proper planning was done, it would result in huge revenues for the province.
