27bn dollars projects completed under CPEC: Asad Umer

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf senior leader Asad Umer on Monday said that projects amounting to $ 27 billion under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have completed or near completion.

Speaking in National Assembly, he said, “Total of 50 billion dollar projects were started in the country under CPEC out of which 27 billion dollars projects have been completed or near completion."

He said that only seven billion dollars Foreign Director Investment (FDI) arrived in the country during Pakistan Muslim League (N) tenure out of which 4 billion dollars FDI came under CPEC.

He appreciated the Chinese government for providing loans on lower rate and said, “We are thankful to China for providing loans on lower rate”. However,  Asad Umer said that he never said that projects undertaken by the Pakistan Muslim League (N) under CPEC were transparent.

He also disagreed with  opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif that world's cheapest power projects had been installed under CPEC. “If the projects are cheaper then why NEPRA was asking government to increase the tariff of the electricity to meet the expense of power generation,"he added.

Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that he was thinking that Shahbaz Sharif would take credit for arrest of Asif Ali Zardari as cases against him were started by the PML-N government in 2015.

He said that the then interior minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan had disclosed about the fake accounts of Asif Ali Zardari while PTI had nothing to do with these cases. The minister said that the PML-N government was also involved in corruption in import of LNG.

Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid said that Pakistan Railways had earned billions of rupees during last ten months. “We have earned billions of rupees during last 10 months without investing single penny which is big achievement” he added.

Pakistan Peoples Party senior leader  Abdul Qadir Patel  asked the Speaker of National Assembly to issue production order of  Asif Ali Zardari.