ISLAMABAD: A one-day symposium on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and opportunities in the aviation industry was held at the Pakistan Air Force and Royal Aeronautical Society premises on Monday. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman was the chief guest. Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, who is also the chairman of the Parlimentary Committee on CPEC, and Ahsan Iqbal, the federal minister for Interior, were the keynote speakers. Delivering the closing address, the Air Chief said, “CPEC is a project of great magnitude which will play a pivotal role in transforming the economic landscape of Pakistan as well as the region. It is rightly called a game changer as it connects the neighbourhood of East and West Asia, making Pakistan both a conduit and destination for cross regional investment and trade.” The Air Chief further said that PAF is fully committed to provide its service for security of this project of great strategic significance in synergy with other security and law enforcement agencies in the country. Earlier, six distinguished speakers from government, non-governmental organisations and academia shared their views about aviation-related aspects of the CPEC. The speakers included Hassan Daud, project director CPEC Ministry of Planning; Dr Nasir Afghan, director MBA Programme at IBA Karachi; Air Vice Marshal Razi Nawab (retd), Shaheen Foundation deputy managing director; Air Commodore Abdul Moeed Khan, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Plans); Syed Muzaffar Alam, Additional Director Air Transport CAA; and Mr Amer Zafar Durrani, CEO Enhar. Senators, serving and retired bureaucrats, members of chambers of commerce and select academics from various institutions including officers from three services also attended the symposium. Published in Daily Times, August 22nd 2017.