MINISTER for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Prof Ahsan Iqbal has confirmed what was widely believed during the entire period of the PTI Government about lacklustre treatment meted out to the historic initiative of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is rightly seen as a game changer by the majority of people of Pakistan.
Talking to newsmen, he stated that the CPEC that suffered badly during the previous government of the PTI, was back on track now as work is picking up momentum once again.
He maintained that the PTI government didn’t initiate even one single new scheme under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) during its around four-year rule besides suspension of work on all development projects sanctioned by the previous PML(N) Government.
The confirmation of the Minister, who is fully involved in all processes relating to the implementation of the CPEC projects, explains why the country remains impoverished and backward despite immense potential to grow in all spheres of life.
Pakistan is a resource-starved country and cannot imagine undertaking all the projects and programmes needed to put the country on the path of accelerated socio-economic development and, therefore, CPEC offered a golden opportunity to translate into reality our dreams for progress and prosperity.
It is also a reality that modern infrastructure and energy security were also pre-requisites for national development and the planners rightly put the emphasis on this aspect while launching the CPEC with the collaboration of our Chinese friends.
While the country doesn’t have an enviable history of completing development projects within the stipulated timeframe and original estimates, CPEC projects were completed on a fast-track basis and people of Pakistan are now benefiting from them within a short period of time.
The statement of Mr.Meng Wei, spokesperson of China’s National Development and Reform Commission (CNDRC) gives an idea of benefits accruing from CPEC initiative, who said that about two hundred thousand jobs have so far been created and many more would be available when all projects are completed.
He expressed the confidence that the decision to expand the cooperation to the fields of science and technology, agriculture, society, people’s livelihood and information technology industries would immensely benefit people of Pakistan in many ways.
We hope a firm mechanism with legal covers would be put in place to ensure that work on not only CPEC but also on other development projects and programmes continues unhindered irrespective of who is ruling the country.
