Observer Report Beijing
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will not only push Pakistan’s economy onto the track of fast development, but also lead the whole region to stability, connectivity, development and prosperity with the active participation of Afghanistan, Central Asian countries and other regional countries.
These views were expressed by Cheng Xizhong, visiting professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law and senior fellow of the Charhar Institute said in an article issued here on Saturday.
While commenting on media reports about a roadmap approved by Pakistan, Afghanistan and Afghanistan for the Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway, he believed that the implementation of the project would also create unique opportunities for ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan, stimulating the progressive economic growth of the region by creating tens of thousands of new jobs.
The railway project is supposed to open up broad prospects for international trade, economic development cooperation and the connection of Central Asia to South Asia via Afghanistan.
Adviser to the Prime Minister for Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood represented Pakistan in the trilateral working group on the construction of the railway.
Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar said in a tweet that the project would boost connectivity, contribute to economic cooperation and realize a shared vision to link Central and South Asia.
The Uzbek Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade said in a statement that the 600 km long railway project would open Pakistani seaports to the Central Asian and Eurasian railway systems, significantly increasing cargo flows and also reviving the region’s historical role as a bridge linking Europe and Asia.
According to the analysis of relevant experts, the implementation of the railway project will reduce the time and cost of transporting goods along the North South Corridor (NSC) by 30%.
Thus, the delivery time of goods from the Russian border to Karachi will be 16-18 days, and from Termez, Uzbekistan to Karachi, Pakistan 8-10 days. The volume of traffic can grow to 10 million tons in the early days of operation of the railway.
The railway will also form a new world paradigm for access through Pakistani ports Gwadar and Karachi to the countries of the Persian Gulf.
Transport to the ports of Pakistan from Central Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the Russian Federation will create ample opportunities for the development of international trade. Recently, CPEC Authority Chairman Lt.Gen (R) Asim Saleem Bajwa said Central Asian countries were taking keen interest in investing in the CPEC.
