Daily Times

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Zardari said they have made history by pioneering the game changer project China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Zardari was addressing the party lawmakers after Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah gave a briefing on CPEC with special reference to province’s share in the mega economic project covering 64 countries.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh PPP President Nisar Khuhro, former Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah and Naveed Qamar were also present.

Zardari said that it was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who initiated this infinite concept and entered into dialogue with China and resolved borderline issue getting K2 for Pakistan with Chinese magnanimity.

He said, “Several books are needed to cover the CPEC, whose imaginations go beyond thousand years and our future generations will continue to eat the fruits of this game-changer project.”

He pointed out that more than 500 Chinese have completed their PhD on Pakistan and now they are communicating in Urdu.

“We have to give ownership to CPEC and every area being developed under this project is our own,” he added.

He added, “Sea has gulped 350,000 acres of our coastal land and we gave the idea of Zulfikarabad to reclaim this land but some elements started negative publicity to unsuccessfully scare our future Chinese partners in the project.”

“Shaheed Bibi also wanted a martial plan for our development and she planned 50,000MW power projects but the same were scrapped because her governments were dismissed in the half of tenures,” he added.

The former president said, “We have followed indefinite concept and our thoughts and ideas cover also the time when we will not be here.”

He said, “Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan is thinking to enter into currency-swap agreements with other countries now while we signed such agreements with China, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Iran a half-decade back.”

Zardari reminded that he conducted his first-ever diplomatic visit as the president to China to follow up the strong relations developed with the friendly country by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.

“If the federal government will not take provincial governments into confidence then we will raise this issue on every forum but we will not do politics on CPEC and will not allow anyone to victimised CPEC with there politics,” he added.

The inclusion of Karachi Circular Railway, establishment of economic zone and development of Keti Bandar project is the success of Sindh government, the meeting remarked.

“The PPP would not allow anyone to do politics on CPEC. The federal government should immediately implement All Parties Conference resolution on CPEC. If the federal government ignored other provinces then PPP will raise its voice at all forums,” the meeting decided.

Murad Ali Shah briefed the meeting regarding his recent visit to China and inclusion of three projects in CPEC. “CPEC is not a name of any road but it’s a concept that connects 64 countries with each other. We have included so many projects of Sindh in CPEC. Two cities of Sindh were included in CPEC that is Sukkur and Karachi. In 1980s the foreign direct investment in the country was $1.2 billion now it is $40 billion. Thar Coal and Keti Bandar, Karachi Circular Railway projects were included in CPEC.

So many projects of Punjab province were excluded in the CPEC due to their inefficiencies.”

“Sindh is the only province whose two cities i.e. Karachi and Sukkur are part of CPEC while Karachi Circular Railway has also reached the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) of the two countries,” he added.