I HAVE read the document and admit that I am naïve to such economic jargonism. Still I do not find anything objectionable other than about the development of a “coastal tourism” industry aka nightlife facilities under the garb of tourism and recreation.

Let me criticise the statement by Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Ahsan Iqbal in which he says that the CPEC document is a live one and that both China and Pakistan can modify it according to the need, besides reviewing it periodically.

Projects as huge as CPEC need to be seen through to the end with all nitty-gritty decided before allowing anyone to enter our economic system.

Umar Khalid Dar
Manchester, UK

(2)

THE long-term plan for CPEC has created a stir in the country. When viewed from a critical perspective one indeed finds several drawbacks in this plan. However, if one looks at the detail, an entirely different picture emerges.

The demonstration farms being leased will enhance the practical knowledge of commercial farmers, directly leading to an increase in GDP caused by the primary sector of the country due to learning from these farms.

The industrial programme will not only boost the economy but also create jobs.

The laying of fibre optics means expanding our telecommunications sector. The plan for deploying surveillance cameras, however, is quite controversial as the plan does not state who will monitor these devices.

A very important aspect of the plan is to make sure that Pakistani labour is used for maintaining all the aforementioned projects.

Mohammad Khalid
Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2017