AS the world is currently grappling with the Corona Virus which has brought to standstill the economic activities, there are genuine concerns that the epidemic may also hamper the pace of multibillion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which definitely is not at all in the interest of Pakistan’s economy. It is a matter of satisfaction that Prime Minister Imran Khan understands the importance of this mega project especially at this crucial juncture when it will be hard to attract foreign investment from other sources. Chairing a meeting on CPEC on Tuesday, he stated that the fast pace implementation of the corridor project is in the interest of the country, emphasizing that timely decisions are required so that cost escalation on the CPEC-related projects could be avoided. The very statement on the part of PM clearly indicates that the focus of incumbent government is on the CPEC, which has helped the country a great deal to address its road infrastructure needs as well as power shortage. A little dip in the execution of ongoing or future projects is very much anticipated but the current situation should not be allowed to halt the project for a long time. As the situation is heading towards improvement in China, our authorities concerned should keep in close touch with the Chinese authorities to discuss the way forward on the projects facing long delays such as the upgradation of ML-1 from Karachi to Peshawar. This project alone has the capacity to generate immense economic activity and provide hundreds of thousands of jobs to our people. We expect that the PM will continue to monitor the execution of projects under the CPEC as it is only this project which can steer the country out of these difficult times. The entire Pakistani nation also values the help and assistance being provided by China to tackle the spread of Corona Virus. We have a lot to learn from the Chinese experience to deal with this pandemic.
