PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has identified land for establishing a salt and gypsum city in Karak district to fully utilize these precious resources for achieving socioeconomic development by creating over 25000 job opportunities.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zone Development and Management Company (KPEZDMC) has been tasked to accomplish this ambitious initiative which will end sporadic production and ensure a constant supply of gypsum and salt to the market.

A team headed by the company’s CEO Javed Khattak has selected a site on main old Bannu Road, Banda Daud Shah Tehsil during a recent visit to Karak for the proposed project after inspection of several other pieces of land at various areas in the district.

The company’s CEO told APP on Tuesday that the land stretching over 200 acres had been selected for the salt and gypsum city which would bring the large but scattered resources of salt and gypsum for processing units within the same boundary wall.

In this regard, he said the company had sent a letter to the deputy commissioner Karak to impose section 4 for acquisition of the proposed site.

He said Pakistan was endowed with myriad reserves of minerals, much of which was concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said that KP, especially Kohat Division, was rich in an exceptional amount of natural resources, including large reserves of mineral salt and gypsum, accumulated mainly in the Kohat Division.

He said that KP had 92 percent share in the country’s total gypsum reserves and out of it Kohat division contributed 89 percent high-quality gypsum.

While Salt deposits of 98 percent purity occur at the Jatta Bahadur Khel and Karak districts.

He said that despite the immense reserves, the share of Pakistan in global exports of gypsum was only estimated to be 0.6%.

He said that Salt and Gypsum City in the Karak district would facilitate the mine owners of the district with world-class infrastructure and utilities to set up their industries.

He said that establishment of such an infrastructure would not only help the manufacturers in diversification and value addition of the minerals but would also help in production of export-oriented products.

While gypsum would also be value-added to meet the booming demand of the local construction sector and export market.

He said that the proposed city would house several processing units which would generate employment opportunities for about 25000 people and investment opportunities to the tune of over Rs. 3 billion and the initiative would change destiny of the area, the CEO concluded.