Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday inaugurated the Skardu International Airport and the Jaglot-Skardu road during a one-day visit to the region.
The airport in Skardu was previously only operational for domestic flights. However, its status was raised on 2 December as it started welcoming international flights as well.
Addressing a large crowd at the Municipal Stadium Skardu, the Prime Minister said that the upgrade of the facility to an international airport would bring untold changes for the local people.
Premier said that GB had “the most beautiful mountain scenery in the world”, but he lamented that people did not know enough about it because the journey was difficult.
He predicted that tourists, including foreign Pakistani and domestic tourists, would arrive in large numbers after the upgrade of the airport as well as the road.
“Tourism can become a big asset of Pakistan,” he said, adding that if Switzerland can generate $70 billion from tourism then Pakistan can also generate substantial income from tourism throughout the year. “We can make at least $30-$40 billion just from tourism in GB,” he said.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the potential of religious tourism and the untapped coastal belt. “We haven’t taken advantage of the blessings God has given us,” he said.
He said that the local people would benefit the most from the increase in tourism as they would no longer have to travel far in search of jobs. Instead, people will come to their area to find jobs, he said.
Explaining his vision, the Prime Minister said that no country can really develop unless it uplifts its poor and improves its backward and neglected areas.
“This is mine [desire] That by the time our five years are not completed, life is better in the backward areas and the lives of the people below the poverty line improve.”
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, during his visit to Skardu, PM Imran was also scheduled to chair various meetings on several development plans and review the performance of the Gilgit-Baltistan government for one year.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the National Highways Authority of India said that the road is a gift to the local people by the democratic government. He said the 167-km road is the “main strategic road” that connects GB with the Karakoram Highway in Jaglot.