ISLAMABAD: Chairman China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa (retd) Wednesday said the Gwadar Free Zone Phase-I was fully operational now and that had so far created over 1200 jobs. Talking to media persons here, the chairman said that the development of Gwadar port and industrial zones would have a massive impact on the local as well as national economy.

He said COVID-19 was a big challenge for the CPEC from which “we have successfully come out and now it will develop with even higher pace”.

Asim Bajwa said he was personally monitoring each and every project under CPEC besides he was also streamlining the operational issues of the mega project. “Security situation for the CPEC projects is much better now and not a single project has stopped due to security reasons”, he added.

He said majority issues were from cross the borders therefore 60 percent fencing work with Afghanistan and Iran had been completed. To a question, he said there was no delay in development work of any of the projects and that the trust level of Chinese investors on the CPEC projects was increasing.

Bajwa said the unemployment rate in areas along the Western route was much higher, but with the construction of the Route, the people of the areas would get huge job opportunities.