Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal has directed the concerned stakeholders to remove bottlenecks and expedite the implementation on CPEC projects.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives said that the Planning Minister today reviewed the progress of the CPEC projects after the 11th Joint Cooperation Committee meeting held last month and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to China.
The 11th JCC was held last month, co-chaired by the planning minister and the Vice Chairman National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China Lin Nianxiu, in which both sides agreed to accelerate CPEC projects, and several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed during Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s recent visit to China.
During the meeting, the conveners of the Joint Working Groups on energy, transport infrastructure, Gwadar, socio-economic development, security, long-term planning of CPEC, industrial cooperation, international cooperation, science and technology, and agriculture cooperation apprised the minister of the progress since the JCC took place.
The minister also directed the Embassy of Pakistan in China to hold a meeting with the Chinese side to follow up on decisions taken in the 11th JCC and during the PM’s visit to China. He also asked the Embassy of Pakistan in China to arrange an online meeting with the Vice Chairman of NDRC, to review the progress of CPEC projects.
The Minister said that the CPEC is a vital national project that has transformed the relationship between the two countries into a strong economic partnership. He added that the next phase of CPEC envisages the development of industrial cooperation.
He directed concerned ministries to expedite work on Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in order to capture a share of the benefits of Chinese industry relocation to Pakistan with low production costs.
Ahsan Iqbal also directed the officials to coordinate with the Chinese authorities for the early completion of International Gwadar Airport.
The Minister said that the Gwadar International Airport should be functional before June 2023 and directed the relevant stakeholders to engage their counterparts in China so launch could be ensured timely.
Source: Radio Pakistan