ISLAMABAD: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project is not simply a road or railway route, but a vital concept of development for which the nation will have to take its ownership for its smooth materialization and completion. Special Assistant to Prime Minister, Irfan Siddiqui expressed these views in a ‘Fikri Nashist on Chinese President’s visit to Pakistan’ held here at Nazria-e-Pakistan Trust (NPT) on Saturday.
He mentioned that $ 46 billion Chinese investment, in the wake of recent visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan, was twice the total volume of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) which had been made in Pakistan since 1947 to date. Irfan said, the CPEC was not being executed on the basis of area, province, ethnic and racialism, but its projects were being initiated wherever needed. The CPEC consisting of around 51 agreements entailed numerous long-term (15 years), medium-term (10 years) and short-term (5 years) projects of energy generation, industrial and economic zones, roads network, the biggest airport at Gwadar and other infrastructural development across the country.
He said, “We have to protect this huge Chinese investment, and the game changer project from the elements trying to create hurdles in the country’s progress and prosperity through unjustified sit-ins and for petty political mileage.” The unjust sit-ins and protest politics had usurped eight precious months of country’s development by causing delay in Chinese President’s visit to Pakistan, he added.
Irfan viewed that all the government departments, bureaucracy, politicians, youth and specially the media would have to play their due role in making successful the CPEC project with patriotism and national zeal. And above all, he said, the nation would have to take its ownership so that coming governments did not affect the corridor projects of national interest.
The PM’s Special Assistant said that Chinese had been waiting for an appropriate leadership in Pakistan to materialize the CPEC project, and they gave impetus to their relations with Pakistan soon after PML-N government came into power in 2013. He said that it was a good omen that Pakistan’s relations were strong with China that bordered with 14 countries, and within 30 years, its foreign reserves shot up from merely $ 12 billion to $4000 billion, which was much higher than that of the world’s super power USA’s $ 150 billion.
China, he asserted, was producing 500,000 engineers every year, who were playing a substantial role in its industrial and economic uplift. Irfan Siddiqui said, PML-N government succeeded to bring Pakistan’s foreign reserves in double digits to $ 17 billion today from the inherited $ 7 to 8 billion. He said, nothing was ambiguous or hidden in relations between Pakistan and China, and everything was crystal clear.
During his visit, the Chinese President cited the quotes of Quaid-i-Azam and poetry of Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal regarding a developed and prosperous Pakistan. The Chinese leadership also expressed the resolve to walk shoulder to should, and by putting hands in hands with Pakistan to surpass a new era of progress and prosperity, he maintained. The Chinese, he said, wanted the exchange of delegations of think-tanks, media men, businessmen and youth with Pakistan.
Irfan Siddiqui said Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was endeavoring for speedy and early completion of energy, roads and other infrastructural projects under the CPEC. The Prime Minister would hold review meetings on weekly basis to check the progress on these projects. The PML-N government would manage to increase electricity generation capacity up to 10,400 MW by completing 14 projects of wind, coal, solar and hydel resources within three years that would help end load-shedding from Pakistan. These projects, he said, were being executed with the help of Chinese companies.
Later talking to media, he termed the MQM’s chief statement as very unfortunate and said that it hit hard the country’s eminent institution that was defending the country’s frontiers as well as playing prominent role in development, and rescue and rehabilitation of calamity hit people. On this occasion, former Pakistan President Muhammad Rafique Tarar said that Pakistan should further strengthen its ties with China that had vital role in Pakistan’s economic development, overcoming energy crisis and was very generous in technology transfer to Pakistan. He stressed the need for completing CPEC at all costs.