Pakistan has long suffered on account of extremism. Sectarianism, radicalization and extremist violence have plunged the country into obscurantism and wreaked havoc on the masses. It is obvious that poverty, unemployment and illiteracy are sustaining the extremism.
The China Pakistan Economic Corridor is a boon from heaven. It can rescue a people from the clutches of extremism by providing ample economic opportunities to the youth and utilizing their energies in constructive pursuits.
The $62 billion flagship project holds immense importance for Pakistan. Chinese assistance will not only beef up foreign exchange reserves but also help the economy grow. The CPEC will bring new roads, railways, cable networks, pipelines and energy projects. The energy projects envisaged under the CPEC include Gwadar Coal Power PLANT, Hub Coal-fired Power Plant, Rahim Yar Khan Coal Power Plant, Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park, 50 MW Dawood Wind Farm at Bhambore, 100 MW Wind Farm at Jhimpir, 50 MW Wind Farm at Sachal, Suki Kinari Power Plant, Karot Hydropower Project and Kohala Power Project.
The extent of the project’s success will depend on the attitude of the new government. Its commitment to fulfilling its side of the bargain needs to be beyond doubt. The first challenge for the policymakers is to overcome parochial considerations and cynicism
Illiteracy, poverty and deplorable living conditions have been the norm in much of the areas that are going to see development under the CPEC. These conditions provides space to extremist elements to exploit the weaknesses of marginalized sections of the society. According to the 2017 census, 60 per cent of the country’s 208 million peple are below the age of 30 years. According to the Bureau of Statistics 22.3 per cent of the country’s population is living below the poverty line. As many as 22 million children are out of school.
These factors guarantee the room the miscreants and extremist elements need to cause trouble by exploiting the youth.
CPEC contains the seeds of prosperity that can help deprive the extremists of the ready recruits.
In the end, the extent of the project’s success will depends on the new government. The government need to be committed to its side of the bargain. The policymakers’ first challenge is to overcome suspicion, parochialism and cynicism.
The writer is a Doctor of Pharmacy with interest in socio-economic affairs