PAKISTAN-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) has highlighted the significant opportunities that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will bring to Balochistan. Its President Moazzam Ghurki, in a statement, emphasized that regional countries, especially Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, will utilize the corridor for exports and trade through the Gwadar port.
There is no denying the fact that Balochistan is at the core of the CPEC activities as the initiative aims at making Gwadar a hub of regional trade and investment. In a significant development, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and China have agreed to allocate dedicated spaces in Gwadar and Tashkent for establishing warehouses to facilitate transportation of goods within the region. Modernization of the port, its facilities and other related projects have the potential to unleash enormous economic and employment opportunities and it is a foregone conclusion that the local population would be the principal beneficiary. It is also encouraging that apart from providing educational opportunities to the youth of the province in institutions of higher learning in other province especially Punjab, the Government is also focusing on establishment of quality educational institutions and institutes for development of professional skills in Balochistan with the collaboration of China so that the local youth could benefit from emerging opportunities at their doorsteps. We hope federal and provincial governments would listen to the sound advice of PCJCCI Senior Vice President Fang Yulong, who has emphasized the need for investments in transportation, infrastructure development, clean drinking water, agriculture, livestock, information technology, energy, industry, commerce, manpower, and education for the revolutionary development of the neglected province.
