Govt to frame mineral policy on modern lines

Planning commission organises consultative session at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry

ISLAMABAD: The government wants to develop the mineral sector on modern lines as it has a great potential for creating new jobs and enhancing exports, said Dr Syed Akhtar Hussain Shah, member (Private Sector Development and Competitiveness) of the Planning Commission.

The commission organised a consultative session at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) to get input and proposals of the business community for a new mineral policy in order to develop the sector on modern lines.

Shah said the government wanted to develop the new mineral policy in consultation with all stakeholders and the consultative session at the ICCI was part of that process.  He said after a thorough study of primary and secondary data and consultations with key stakeholders, a draft framework of mineral policy was developed and the business community should provide input for further refining the document.

Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa General Manager Javed Iqbal Khattak said there were 92 known minerals in Pakistan, of which 52 were being commercially exploited.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2019.

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