KARACHI: Minister for Planning and Development and Interior Ahsan Iqbal said on Friday that the country had achieved many milestones under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, and removed many impediments to development projects.

Speaking at a press conference organised at the Pakistan International Trade Fair (PITF 2017), the minister said the country was progressing, and assured the world that the CPEC would facilitate the whole region.

He further said that under the CPEC, a large number of infrastructure projects had been initiated with many already existing on ground.

Mr Iqbal spoke on energy projects in detail and said within a short period of four years around, 10,000mw energy projects had either been completed or were near completion. As a result of this, the industrial sector today was being provided uninterrupted electricity and gas supply.

Under the CPEC, the energy sector alone had been earmarked $35 billion and all this was being carried out under strategies, wherein, other sectors like infrastructure development and transport were also being simultaneously worked out.

Giving other details of CPEC, the minister said the whole country was being connected through motorways and road networks. In a short period of time Karachi and Hyderabad would be called twin cities as CPEC had shortened the distance between the two cities.

Similarly, the road networks between Quetta and Gwadar had been improved, he said, adding the travelling time between the two cities had now been reduced to only eight hours.

He further said that under the CPEC, many other benefits were being materialised and industrialists were happy. He said this would open up new job opportunities for people of all classes. The only way to progress for any country was to develop infrastructure, transport and energy and the rest would automatically fall in with the time.

As soon as these development projects were completed there would be relocation of labour-intensive industries from China which will open up opportunities for bolstering the local industry and creating employment opportunities.

Earlier, Mohammad Hanif Gohar chairman National Fairs & Exhibitions — FPCCI said that the international CPEC conference and PITF would open up opportunities for economic development.

He further said CPEC was vital for the growth and development of the country and appreciated the government for completing major projects within specified timeframe.

Pakistan International Trade Fair (PITF 2017) had been organised from Oct 26-29 at the Karachi Expo Centre by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and Badar Expo Solutions.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2017