ISLAMABAD: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (CPECA) chairmanretired Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa Sunday said Pakistan attaches greatimportance to the mega project, and is ready to pay any price for itssuccess.
He was talking to a delegation of senior officials and researchers of anIslamabad-based think tank, Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), at theauthority’s secretariat.
The delegation comprised executive president Khalid Rahman, general manager(operations) Naufil Shahrukh, senior associates Amanullah Khan, Mirza HamidHasan, Dr Maliha Zeba Khan, retired ambassador Tajammul Altaf, retiredbrigadier Said Nazir Mohmand, and members of the institution’s research andoutreach team.
Briefing the delegation about the progress on the project, Gen Bajwa saidthat work on the eastern, western and central alignments is in full swing,and the second phase of the project is just beginning.
He also rubbished the claims that work on phase one has slowed down.
Gen Bajwa was of the view that underdeveloped areas, especially southernparts of Balochistan were being given importance in the project: a dam anddesalination plant have been built in Gwadar in a bid to resolve chronicwater shortages affecting the inhabitants.
An airport with the biggest runway in Pakistan worth $230 million was alsobeing built in Gwadar, he said.
Commenting on the first phase, the chairman said its success depends on thesecond phase, which involves business-to-business (B2B) andpeople-to-people (P2P) contacts.
He also said synergy among all stakeholders is required to make CPEC asuccess. In this regard, the Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce andIndustry was also being revived, he informed.
Gen Bajwa stressed the need for projecting CPEC as a regional connectivityinitiative to make Pakistan emerge as an economically galvanising stateinstead of security or terror-fighting state on the global spectrum.
Afghan transit trade, he added, is also now being facilitated throughGwadar port.
On the occasion, Khalid Rahman opined that China and Pakistan both needeach other to implement CPEC as the initiative’s success lies in furtherstrengthening bilateral relations.
He also underlined the importance of transparency and effective perceptionmanagement for the success of CPEC to counter the nefarious designs ofPakistan and China’s adversaries at all levels.