CPEC focus must be on job creation, agriculture: Imran

[Kabira]

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan decided on Monday to shift the focus of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) from motorways to agriculture, job creation and foreign investment.

The decision was taken in a meeting presided over by the prime minister at Prime Minister Office.

“Earlier, the CPEC was only aimed at construction of motorways and highways, but now the prime minister decided that it will be used to support the agriculture sector, create more jobs and attract other foreign countries like Saudi Arabia to invest in the country,” Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told Dawn while giving details of the meeting.

He said the prime minister’s proposed visit to China was also discussed during the meeting.

The minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan will pay his first visit to China in the first week of November. “Arrangements are being made for the visit and its date is yet to be finalised,” he said.

Meeting presided over by prime minister discusses his proposed visit to China next month

According to details of the meeting, the prime minister said strengthening the strategic cooperative partnership with China was the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy and early implementation of the CPEC projects would help realise the true potential of Pak-China economic relations not only for the two countries but for the entire region.

Imran Khan said that CPEC was a great opportunity to learn from the Chinese experience, especially in the social, agricultural and other sectors.

He said that agricultural output of the country, considered as the backbone of economy, could be enhanced manifold by learning from Chinese expertise and employing latest technologies and efficient methods.

Prime Minister Khan stressed the need for focusing on early establishment of special economic zones in various parts of the country along the CPEC which would help the local industry grow through industrialisation and would also create huge employment opportunities for youths.

He said the CPEC under Belt and Road Initiative of President Xi Jinping also offered opportunities to other countries to invest in CPEC projects and reap benefits in various sectors.

“Like Saudi Arabia’s initiative to invest in CPEC-related projects, Imran Khan has offered other countries to invest in it,” the information minister said.

Interestingly, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at a meeting of his party in Lahore on Monday expressed concern over new agreements [Saudi investment] in the CPEC and claimed that a gulf was being created between China and Pakistan.

However, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the Pak-China friendship would be made stronger.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Planning Minister Khusro Bukhtiar, Power Minister Omar Ayub, Advisers to Prime Minister Abdul Razak Dawood and Dr Ishrat Husain, the foreign secretary, secretary planning and other senior officials attended the meeting.

Last year China had temporarily suspended funding of road projects related to the CPEC till what the Chinese authorities said “new guidelines” to be issued from Beijing.

It is expected that the prime minister will raise the issue during his meetings with the Chinese leadership.

Due to suspension of funds, over Rs1 trillion road projects of the National Highway Authority, which were in the pipeline, have been affected. It was also expected that not only road projects but ventures in other sectors of the CPEC, including power, could also halt.

The road projects affected by the decision included 210km Dera Ismail Khan-Zhob road which will be completed at a cost of Rs Rs81 billion – Rs66bn will be spent on construction of road and Rs15bn on acquisition of land.

The estimated cost of 110km Khuzdar-Basima Road is Rs19.76bn — construction of road to cost Rs14.5bn and land acquisition Rs5bn.

Remaining portion of the 136km of Karakoram Highway from Raikot to Thakot will be improved at a cost of Rs8.5bn.

It is expected that the funding of the three projects will be approved at a meeting of the Joint Working Group of the CPEC on Nov 20.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2018

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Building 6 Desalination plants across Pakistani Coast line would be a great accomplishment that is the single element which can Turn fortunes of Sindh/Baluchistan provinces

All Six could be powered by 1 Nuclear power plants

Pakistani land is always fertile due to nature of the Sediment rich with Nutrients just need sustained supply of Desalination water to provide a boost along the coastal areas

Road/Train routes are self explanatory for CPEC

 

[khansaheeb]

Interesting development. IK is looking at it from a few perspectives. Firstly , he is giving the masses a sweetener equivalent to sweets before a dinner to satisfy the guests and give them a taste of things to come. This will be electorally good for him and get public opinion behind him. Secondly it will show the masses that the fruit of CPEC success are within reach and that they should support it wholeheartedly. Thirdly he is sweetening the waderas who still have a big sway on Senate and Pakistani politics and whose farms still feed the Pakistani populace. Whatever the reason the outcomes will be good.

These additional steps are components of a well thought out strategy and the goals are desirable and achievable. It seems IK is now fully immersed into the CPEC dream and is a willing contributor and supporter. However, PML (N) should be given a contributory role and allowed input , advice and guidance to a project they started. Let there be cross party agreements and allow them to be involved in steering the projects.

I hope IK is thinking big. CPEC is a big dream , a big investment and a big deal. It is a gateway for China to the middle East and Africa and a gateway for Pakistan to Central Asia, Russia and China (and eventually to Europe by train). We mustn't compromise it for short term gains or savings or for political games, there is too much at stake for the people of Pakistan whose destiny lies in part to its success. We must keep the investment momentum going and prioritise projects not for political expediency but national interests. No doubt PA is looking over the shoulder ready to intervene should there be any deviancy from the expected direction.

What most people are failing to see is the importance of the CPEC Karakorum train link (KTL) which is the ultimate defining project of CPEC and one which requires a colossal investment but will provide even greater colossal returns. KTL will produce billions of dollars in tourism and link up difficult areas for the tourist industry, population and military via feeder train/road networks. It will strengthen Pakistan's cohesion and defense and boost it's strategic value on the world's stage as Pakistan will become the interlink between trade blocks of the world and the central partner of the greatest Trade hub in the world.

China - Pakistan Friendship Zindabad

 

[BetterPakistan]

CPEC will actually turn lower middle income Pakistan to Upper middle income within a decade under Imran Khan leadership. In sha ALLAH

 

[nahtanbob]

Building 6 Desalination plants across Pakistani Coast line would be a great accomplishment that is the single element which can Turn fortunes of Sindh/Baluchistan provinces

All Six could be powered by 1 Nuclear power plants

Pakistani land is always fertile due to nature of the Sediment rich with Nutrients just need sustained supply of Desalination water to provide a boost along the coastal areas

Road/Train routes are self explanatory for CPEC

Nuclear power and Desalination are not cheap. Only countries who use desalination are oil rich water scare states in the Middle East

 

[313ghazi]

Question is what will Pakistan awam make from CPEC? What will we start manufacturing? What will people create?