Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal stressed that the private sector should play a leading role in realizing the economic potential of CPEC Phase-II, stressing that Pakistan’s focus must remain on economic growth, exports and investment rather than political confrontation.
Chairing a detailed review meeting on implementation of the CPEC Action Plan 2025–2029, finalized during Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China in August 2025, the minister reviewed progress made during the first year and discussed measures to accelerate work on agreed priorities, a news release said on Tuesday.
Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan-China relations had strengthened during difficult periods, recalling China’s critical investment when Pakistan was facing severe energy shortages.
He said CPEC Phase-I brought around $25 billion in Chinese investment and added nearly 8,000 megawatts to Pakistan’s power generation capacity, helping overcome the energy crisis and strengthen energy security.
The minister highlighted the development of Thar coal and the fibre-optic network as key achievements of the first phase, saying CPEC Phase-II would build on this foundation through business-to-business cooperation, industrial development, agricultural modernization, minerals, human capital development and technology.—APP
