PAKISTAN and China have, once again, expressed their commitment to take their mutual cooperation to new heights under the historic initiative of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which has immensely contributed to the cause of progress and prosperity and has the potential to put the country on an accelerated path of development and growth. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 10 year celebrations of the CPEC and 12th meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC), Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal and Chinese Charge d’Affaires Pang Chunxue enumerated the benefits of CPEC to Pakistan’s economy and vowed to pursue it with renewed zeal in view of the peculiar conditions of the country.
It has rightly been pointed out from day one by the proponents of this collaborative venture that it has the potential to help overcome economic woes of Pakistan but unfortunately the initiative remained the target of malicious propaganda campaigns both by some internal elements and some foreign powers. In this backdrop, Ahsan Iqbal, who remained closely associated with the planning and execution of the CPEC, deserves appreciation for meticulously drawing an elaborate schedule of activities including international conferences, academic sessions and cultural shows in connection with ten-year celebrations that would go a long way in rebutting the false propaganda and putting things in the right perspective. This is important as the country suffered hugely because of the ill-advised decision of the PTI Government to put CPEC projects on the backburner throughout its four-year term. As against this, the incumbent Government revived the CPEC and its progress can be judged by the fact that projects worth billions of rupee have been completed during the last one year. As the present Government, especially visionary Planning Minister, is fully aware of the role that infrastructure projects play in augmenting economic development, several ongoing projects in Gwadar that remained dormant during the rule of PTI, have been completed in just six months, which would help exploit the full potential of the deep sea port. It is also pleasing to hear from the Minister that CPEC enters a significant milestone as it celebrates a decade of remarkable achievements in fostering economic growth, infrastructure development and regional connectivity. Similarly, Pang Chunxue rightly pointed out that CPEC has achieved fruitful outcomes covering areas of industry, agriculture, IT, disaster prevention and mitigation which made a significant contribution to promote Pakistan’s economic and social development, upgrading Pakistan’s infrastructure, improving Pakistani people’s wellbeing, enhancing people-to-people contact and deepening regional connectivity. As Pakistan is seeking more investment for which a high level Investment Facilitation Council has been formed, it is but natural that the country participates in the next JCC meeting with full preparations to attract investment from China in the priority areas.
