Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, chaired a high-level progress review meeting on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Islamabad on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and senior representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Communications, Economic Affairs, Petroleum, Commerce, Food and Agriculture, Science and Technology, and Maritime Affairs, along with the Board of Investment and other relevant federal and provincial institutions. During the meeting, Ahsan Iqbal expressed dissatisfaction over the delay in ensuring national grid connectivity to Gwadar and directed the Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) and the Power Division to submit an updated progress report within five working days on the status of power supply to the city. He also voiced deep concerns over the nonoperationizatio of desalination plant in Gwadar and emphasized the urgent need to ensure the supply of clean drinking water. He directed that immediate action be taken within the week to resolve this issue. It was highlighted that, under the socio-economic development initiative, agriculture equipment and demonstration stations had been received in September and December 2024, respectively. Additionally, 10,000 solar panels were delivered in May 2024, followed by another 5,000 in September 2024, under a grant-in-aid program. Furthermore, drinking water supply equipment, including 150 water filtration plants and 10 tube well solarization units, arrived in August 2024. However, the distribution and installation of this equipment have yet to be carried out. Expressing serious concerns over the delay, Ahsan Iqbal directed the Ministry of Food to formulate a comprehensive plan within three days for the efficient distribution of the equipment provided by China. He further directed the Ministry to convene a meeting with all provinces at the earliest and submit a formal plan within two days on how these machines will be put to use. Discussing the progress of the ML-1 railway project, the Minister directed Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Beijing and the Economic Affairs Division to engage with Chinese authorities to finalize a date for the visit of technical and financial experts to Pakistan. He stressed the need for early coordination to facilitate the visit of the Chinese working group. Regarding the framework agreement on New and Emerging Technologies (NET) between Pakistan and China, Ahsan Iqbal assigned the Ministry of Information Technology the lead role in advancing discussions and implementation. The meeting also reviewed preparations for the upcoming 14th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting, with China confirming its support for holding the session in July 2025. Additionally, all working group meetings have been scheduled for March and April to ensure comprehensive preparations ahead of the JCC.
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