Daily Times

Pakistan is gearing up to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in July.

Last Thursday, Pakistani Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, chaired a meeting to review the progress made on CPEC projects and issued directives to celebrate the significant economic progress in underdeveloped areas of Pakistan as a result of CPEC. Mr Iqbal also directed all ministries and divisions to submit proposals of development projects to be presented in an upcoming Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) scheduled to be held in July, according to Gwadar Pro.

Each ministry was asked to submit reports on its project, emphasizing the economic and social benefits they bring to Pakistan and rejected negative propaganda against CPEC. The meeting was attended by several government officials and stakeholders representing different ministries, divisions, the Pakistani embassy in China, Chinese embassy in Pakistan, and was apprised of the significant progress made in CPEC projects, particularly after the 11th JCC meeting held in October 2022 and the visit of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to China.

The Minister directed the concerned stakeholders to organise regular meetings of joint working groups (JWGs) to ensure timely completion of projects. The Minister also instructed the ministries to expedite work on special economic zones (SEZs) to attract Chinese industrial relocation to Pakistan with low-cost production and to finalise proposals with concrete agendas for the upcoming JCC in which both countries will celebrate the ten years’ progress made in CPEC.