Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan
Abbasi today chaired a meeting of Cabinet Committee on CPEC at Prime Minister’s
Office.
The meeting reviewed progress on various projects being undertaken under
the umbrella of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project in the field of
energy, roads and railway infrastructure including the M-1 project, Karachi
Circular Railway and establishment of Special Economic Zones in various parts
of the country.
The meeting also reviewed preparation for the
visit of senior-level official delegation to China pursuant to the 7th Joint
Cooperation Committee meeting held in Islamabad on 21 Nov 2017.
Secretary Power Division briefed the meeting about various power sector
projects including 300 MW Gwardar Power Project to be set-up for catering to
the power needs of Gawadar and the adjacent areas. The meeting was also briefed
about the progress on establishment of transmission lines being set-up to
off-take power from various generation sources.
Chairman NHA briefed the meeting about progress on various road
infrastructure projects including construction of Raikot-Thakot road,
Khuzdar-Basima road, upgradation of D. I. Khan-Zhob road and other
projects.
The Prime Minister directed that besides expediting work on ongoing
projects, modalities for mutually-agreed future projects be finalized in
consultation with the Chinese side to ensure their for timely implementation.
Discussing Special Economic Zones to be set up in various parts of the
country under the CPEC project, the Prime Minister directed that Chinese side
be proactively engaged for speedy establishment of prioritized Special Economic
Zones. He directed that various factors including connectivity, availability of
human resource and requisite raw material should also be taken into account
while prioritizing setting up of these zones.
The Prime Minister said that early implementation and completion of CPEC
projects remains the foremost priority of the government in view of their huge
socio-economic benefits for the country.
He also directed that BOI and other concerned Federal Government
departments should actively engage with the provincial governments for ensuring
timely completion of various CPEC-related projects.