Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government wants completion of the Koral Interchange by the 15th of February to give a spotless reception to foreign delegates coming to Pakistan for the ECO summit.

The Economic Corporation Organisation (ECO) is a ten-members intergovernmental regional organisation to promote economic, technical and cultural cooperation among the member states.

Pakistan will host the 13th Summit of the ECO on 1st March this year in Islamabad and meetings to finalise the preparations of this international level event are going on at a rapid pace nowadays.

In a recent meeting between Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration and the Capital Development Authority, the former was directed to complete the ongoing construction work before 15th February, but it is apparently looking impossible due to the on ground situation.

An officer of the authority briefed on the condition of anonymity: “The completion of the full project before the ECO summit is out of question, but it might be possible that some portions would become functional before the event.”

However, Member Planning and Design CDA who is also looking into the matters of the Engineering Wing on current charge, Asad Mehboob Kiani, is hopeful that the authority will become successful to finish the work on the project before the ECO summit.

“We are working day and night on the project and it is expected that the project would be opened on 28th of February,” Mr. Kiani said.

Meanwhile, it was conveyed to the civic body that it should prepare alternate routes for the movement of VVIPs, landscaping and beatification of right of the ways, renovation of summit venues and end of encroachments alongside the route of foreign dignitaries.

In addition to aforementioned tasks, the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) is also directed to hold banners, stringers, hoardings and flags on the route all the way from Airport to Islamabad for welcoming the participants.

The member states of the organisation are Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The last ECO summit was held in Baku and now it is going to be held in Islamabad, in which the heads of the member states will participate.

The summit will be preceded by the 22nd meeting of the ECO Council of Foreign Ministers (COM) on 28th February in Islamabad while senior officials from the member states will meet on 27th February to make final preparations for the summit.