JCC meeting in July: Minister directs ministries, divisions to finalise proposals for projects

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday directed all the ministries and divisions to finalise proposals for the development projects for discussion at the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting to be held in July 2023.

The minister gave these directions while chairing a meeting to review the progress over China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

The meeting was attended by the secretary Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, chief economist, PD CPEC, senior specialists CPEC Secretariat, representatives of the various ministries and divisions, officials of the Pakistan embassy in China, officials of the Chinese embassy in Pakistan, and other stakeholders.

During the meeting, the minister was apprised of the progress of the CPEC projects particularly after the 11th JCC meeting held in October 2022 and the recent visit of the minister to China.

It is noted that in April, the minister visited China and held meetings with key Chinese officials to expedite the CPEC projects.

The CPEC agreement was signed between Pakistan and China on July 5, 2013, during the PML-N’s tenure and 10 years will be completed in July this year.

During the meeting, the minister directed the concerned stakeholders to hold meetings of Joint Working Groups (JWGs) on a regular basis so that projects can be completed timely.

The minister also directed the ministries to finalise proposals with a concrete agenda for the upcoming JCC in which both countries will rejoice the 10 years' celebration of the CPEC.

Each ministry should prepare a report on its project that has economic and social benefits for Pakistan, said the minister, while reiterating that the decade of the CPEC should be celebrated very well while rejecting the negative propaganda against the CPEC.

Since the government came into power in April last year, the CPEC projects have been expedited and the first visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China was a clear indication that the government is committed to complete the CPEC projects which remained neglected by the previous government, said the minister.

The minister also directed the relevant ministry to expedite work on Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in order to gain a piece of the Chinese industry’s relocation to Pakistan with low-cost production.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023