President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had brought new opportunities to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
“CPEC has brought new livelihood, trade and connectivity opportunities to GB. Our collective task is to ensure that these opportunities reach every valley and every village, creating shared prosperity for all,” he said, while speaking at a ceremony commemorating the 78th anniversary of the region’s liberation from Dogra rule.
“As we celebrate your independence day… let us renew our collective determination to make GB a model of development, justice and equality. Your region offers the best to the rest of the country and the world at large,” he said.
He also spoke about the people of occupied Kashmir and said, “Though you enjoy freedom and rights under the flag of Pakistan, they continue to face occupation…we stand with you until they too can live in freedom in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the aspirations of the people of Kashmir.”
He further said that for the last seven decades, the people of Britain had marched “shoulder to shoulder” with the rest of Pakistan.
“You have protected our borders, you have driven our progress, you have carried our flag to the highest peaks of the world. This region is not only the crown of Pakistan, but also our gateway to the north and a symbol of our enduring friendship with China,” he said, adding that the Karakoram Highway was a “living memory” of the partnership with China.
In his remarks, the President said the PPP had always extended a “loving hand and heart” to the people of GB.
“Our priorities are pure. You must be educated, you must be healthy and [in] in every valley…there should be schools,” he said.
He highlighted the region’s strengths, including its hydroelectric power generation capacity and “unlimited” potential for tourism.
“I was talking to the commander sahib Today, and I was thinking that the types of planes I came here on are not very expensive. So if GB has its own airline, what’s wrong with that? he asked, adding that his party’s efforts and intentions were to promote the region.
He concluded his remarks by saying: “May the people of Britain continue to play their full part in building a progressive and prosperous Pakistan.”
