The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will participate in the Dubai International Expo in the United Arab Emirates to attract more foreign investment to the province and highlight the province’s positive image at the international level in which important projects of the provincial government for foreign investment will be presented. These projects will include tourism, agriculture, industry, minerals, and energy, infrastructure and information technology projects. In order to highlight the province’s culture and local products at the international level, the Dubai Expo will showcase the province’s culture, culture and archeology, as well as locally made products and a cultural show will also be organized for the said purpose.

A meeting on arrangements and preparations for participation in Dubai Expo was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan on Tuesday. Additional Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Amjad Ali Khan, Secretary Industry Humayun Khan, Director General Culture and Tourism Authority Kamran Afridi, Chief Executive Officer Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade Hassan Dawood and other concerned officials attended the meeting.

Briefing the meeting about the arrangements of the provincial government for participating in the Dubai Expo, proposed activities and other matters, it was informed that 192 countries including Pakistan would participate in the expo and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government would participate in this international expo in January next year. It was further informed that according to the initial schedule:

• KP Pavilion will be set up in the Expo on January 1, 2022 and various products of the province including leather, textile, handicraft, cottage and other products will be exhibited.
• On 6th and 7th January 2022, Special Economic Zones Investment Conference on Rashkai Special Economic Zone, Ghazi Economic Zone, Chitral Economic Zone and the proposed Draban Special Economic Zone will be held.
• The Mines and Minerals Investment Conference will be held on January 10 and 11, as well as an exhibition of precious stones.
•  A conference on tourism, culture and archeology investment will also be held on January 14 and 15 regarding integrated tourism zones.
• A conference will be held on 18 and 19 January 2022 on construction of Crude Oil Refinery, LPG Storage and Bottling Plants in Energy and Power Projects, 22 MW Patrak Sheringal Hydropower Project, 47 MW Barikot Patrak Hydropower Project, 20 MW Gorband Khwar Hydro, 496 MW Curry Mushkur Hydropower Project and 377 MW Gharit Sawer Hydropower Project.
• A conference on Peshawar-DI Khan Motorway, Swat Expressway, Dir Motorway, Buner Expressway will be held on January 22.
• In addition, the Billion Tree Tsunami Project will be unveiled on January 23.
• A conference on the provincial government’s plans in the field of science and technology will be held on January 24 and 25.
• A conference on agriculture and livestock projects will also be held on January 29 and 30, in which KP Food show will also be included.

The meeting was further informed that a strategy for business to business model has also been formulated in which private sector projects through representative organizations of industrialists would also be included in the expo. It was decided at the meeting that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade would oversee the participation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in the expo and all the activities of the provincial government and all the concerned departments will finalize their plans by October 15 to present at the expo. Describing the Dubai Expo as an excellent opportunity to attract more investment from the province, the Chief Minister directed the concerned authorities to present at the expo the projects of the provincial government which are suitable for foreign investment and which have Feasibility studies and master plans. The Chief Minister further directed that arrangements and preparations for participation in the Expo should be finalized in a timely manner but implementation of the rules and regulations of the provincial government should be ensured in all respects.