Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: University of Sargodha Vice Chancellor Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad on Sunday said that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will not only strengthen the economies of both the countries but it will also help to bring their people closer together.

He said this while addressing a seminar titled Geo Politics of South Asia – CPEC Review organised by the Pakistan Council of China. Scholars from China and Pakistan participated in the event. Students of different universities were also part of the event, including Quaid-i-Azam University, National University of Science & Technology, National University of Modern Languages, Bahria University and Air University. The participants shared their views on the aforementioned topic.

Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad said that China has always tried to develop relations with its neighbouring countries according to its foreign policy. “That is why the positive impacts are visible in the economies of both the countries,” he maintained.

Intelligence Bureau former head Dr Shoaib Suddle said that China would stand with Pakistan in its troubled times as it has done so in the past. “Currently, China was playing a major role in maintaining peace in the region,” Dr Shoaib Suddle added.

Pakistani scholar Dr Humayun Khan said that CPEC’s future plans are to create a special economic zone in the country, adding that such zones would affect the economy positively.

While highlighting the economic benefits of CPEC, China Academy of Social Sciences Professor Ye Helen said that it will also create a number of opportunities in Pakistan and soon the country would become part of the developed world.

Published in Daily Times, February  26^th 2018.