To mark 10 years of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the upcoming 12th Joint Cooperation Committee, a curtain raiser event was held at the Planning Ministry on Thursday. Under the 10-year celebrations, several events are being conducted by the CPEC Secretariat in collaboration with the Planning Ministry. Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan Iqbal said this year marks a successful decade of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its flagship project, CPEC. The minister said when China launched its transcontinental enterprise BRI, it chose Pakistan for its flagship project CPEC. “Over the decade, the two countries have developed strong bonds in diverse fields and called themselves ‘iron brothers’,” said the minister, who was declared Mr CPEC by the Chinese authorities in May when he visited China. Mega projects worth billions of rupees have been completed in one year, which indicates the commitment of the incumbent government under the vision of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said Ahsan Iqbal while criticizing the previous government that he said deliberately delayed the CPEC projects. “The people of Pakistan will never forget the contribution of the Chinese to make the CPEC successful,” he added. Speaking on the occasion, Planning Secretary Syed Zafar Ali Shah applauded the CPEC achievements from 2015-2023. Despite challenges, the incumbent government successfully completed the CPEC projects in a year, remarked Shah, who believed the CPEC is based on strategic partnership between the countries.