Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, Fuad Ishaq along with Secretary Industries, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zulfiqar Ali Shah and Pakistan Expo Centre Private Limited Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mariam Khawar visited the under-construction Peshawar Expo Centre.
During the visit, a detailed briefing was given to Fuad Ishaq and apprised him that the structure of Peshawar Expo Centre has been completed while renovation and other construction work on the Expo Centre would be completed in the next 18 months, with the provision of timely funds, said a press release here on Wednesday.
Fuad Ishaq told the secretary Industries government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Zulfiqar Ali Shah and Pakistan Expo Centre Chief Executive Officer Mariam Khawar that in his previous presidential tenure, the Expo Centre was approved when former federal minister for commerce Khurram Dastgir visited the chamber house.
Initially, a sum of Rs 500 million had been sanctioned out of the total estimated cost of Rs 2.5 billion, in which over Rs 2.4 billion has so far been spent, the SCCI President elaborated.
He said owing to the increasing cost of construction materials, an additional Rs 4 billion is required to complete this important project for which financial assistance would be needed through the Export Development Fund.
The SCCI president expressed satisfaction with the design and structure of the Peshawar Expo Centre, which was built at 200 kanals. He, however, voiced concern over the delay in the timely completion of the project.
Fuad Ishaq urged the federal minister for commerce Dr Gohar Ejaz to ensure the required Rs 4 billion for Peshawar Expo Centre in the next meeting of the Export Development Fund.
It will not only provide a facility to local industries to display their products at the Peshawar Expo centre but also export would be boosted from the province, he added.
The SCCI chief hoped the Peshawar Expo Centre would provide facility to the business community of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for the promotion of exports.
Fuad Ishaq said that former federal minister for commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan and the ex-federal secretary of commerce Muhammad Shehzad Arbab had assisted in the establishment of the Peshawar Expo Centre, for which the SCCI and business community of the KP is highly thankful.—APP
