ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan and China would review the progress of the multi-billion dollar Economic Corridor project in Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting on December 29 in Beijing.
The Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Ahsan Iqbal would lead the Pakistani delegation in the meeting while the Chinese side would be led by Vice Chairman of National Development and Reform (NDRC).
On the invitation of the federal government, the Chief Ministers of all provinces were expected to attend the meeting.
In the upcoming JCC, the progress on various projects of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would be reviewed and new projects would be discussed. Before JCC, there would be a meeting of senior officials of both countries on December 28.
Ahsan Iqbal would also hold a meeting with the Pakistan embassy officials before JCC.
Talking about the objectives of the upcoming JCC, Ahsan Iqbal said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor was the biggest project of regional cooperation in the world and the progress on this project has made Pakistan’s friends happy and enemies worried.
The minister was of the view that this national project should have not been politicized as the success of this project depended on unity and commitment.
Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan should have avoided to call CPEC as the project of one province, adding all provinces would get equal benefit from this project.
Talking about the CPEC Western route, he said that 650 km from Gwadar to Surab had already been completed and had become functional within a short span of time which would help to uplift the socio-economic lives of the under developed areas of the Balochistan.
The minister said that the road from Burhan to Dera Ismail Khan would be completed by 2018 and two-lane road from Dera Ismail Khan to Zhob had also been approved.
Ahsan Iqbal further said that the industrial zones would be established with the consultation of all the provinces, adding that Gwadar projects would be discussed with the China officials in the JCC meeting.
There were number of investors who wanted to invest in Gwadar Industrial zone said the minister, adding that the work on energy projects was in full swing and electricity would be produced from Thar coal for the first time in last 70 years.
The planning and development minister said that CPEC was the project of young generation who would get direct benefits from it, so political stability and continuation of policies was the pre-requisite to get benefits of this multi-billion project.
