Imran Khan also inaugurated 167-kilometer long Jaglot-Skardu road
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday, Dec. 16, inaugurated Skardu International Airport and 167-kilometer long Jaglot-Skardu road and expects the initiative to transform the lives of the people in Gilgit Baltistan
The Skardu Airport was previously operational for domestic flights only. However, on 2nd December, its status was raised to international airport to welcome international flights as well.
The prime minister, while making a speech to a large crowd at Municipal Stadium Skardu, said the elevation of the Skardu airport to an international facility would bring countless modifications for the residents of GB.
Tourism to GB will increase
He was also hopeful that domestic tourists, as well as overseas Pakistanis, would arrive in large numbers after the upgrade to the airport as well as the highway.
“Tourism can become a big asset of Pakistan,” he said, adding that if Switzerland could generate $70 billion from tourism then Pakistan could also generate substantial income from tourism all year long. “We can make at least $30-$40 billion from tourism just in GB,” he said.
The locals would benefit the most from the increase in tourism since they would no longer have to venture far to search for jobs. Instead, people would come to their area to find jobs.
The PM highlighted that GB had the “most beautiful mountain scenery in the world” but grieved that people did not know enough about it because of the problematic traveling to the region.
The premier explained his vision saying that a country can truly develop only if it elevates its poor and upgrades its backward and neglected areas.
“It is my [desire] that by the time our five years are complete, the life in backward areas is better and the lives of people below the poverty line are improved,” he said.
Jaglot-Skardu highway
Talking about the Jaglot-Skardu highway, a spokesman of the National Highway Authority said the road was a gift for the locals by the democratic government. He further added that the road with a length of 167 kilometer, is the “main strategic road” that connects Gilgit-Baltistan with the Karakoram Highway at Jaglot.
As per the PM’s Office, the prime minister was also scheduled to chair various meetings on manifold development schemes and review the one-year performance of the Gilgit-Baltistan government, during his Skardu visit.