PR No. 20 Islamabad

Federal Minister Planning, Development & Reform Ashan Iqbal today said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a national project and it would benefit all the provinces as well as three billion people of region. No province or region of the country would be discriminated in CPEC. Ahsan Iqbal stated while talking to media after inaugurating Geo Spatial Technology Cell at Planning Commission of Pakistan. The cell has been established jointly by Planning Commission and SUPARCO. Ahsan Iqbal said that country got historic opportunity to develop its backwards areas economically and socially through CPEC. It is now our national duty to seize this opportunity. “All of us must show greater sense of responsibility and refrain from making the project controversial”, minister urged. He stated, “CPEC is not merely a road project but a framework of economic cooperation in various sectors. Out of 46 billion dollar, 38 billion dollars investment is being made in energy sector in IPP mode. About the reservations being raised from some quarters, Ahsan Iqbal said government is ready to address every single reservation and to take into confidence all the stakeholders. CPEC is not just a project of PML-N government rather it is spanned over coming decades and has great impact on the future of our generations in terms of their well-being. He also rejected the allegations that industrial zones are being shifted from Western route to Eastern route and said such reports are baseless. . Federal government can’t even think of discriminating with any province in economic zones, he declared. Minister said that he would call on KPK Chief Minister on Wednesday (Today) to remove his reservations over CPEC and hoped that all misgivings would be eliminated in the meeting. He said that controversies on CPEC may be detrimental for Pakistan, whose perception changed positively in the world after CPEC. Speaking about Geo Technology Cell, Minister said that it would help in planning and monitoring of infrastructure projects of CPEC. This cell would help to carry out the economic planning and infrastructure development on scientific lines through use of technology.

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