ISLAMABAD: The Caretaker Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Muhammad Sami Saeed, directed the ministries and divisions to further accelerate the work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in Gwadar.
The minister gave these directions while chairing a meeting on Tuesday to review the progress of CPEC projects in Gwadar.
The meeting was attended by the secretary Planning Ministry, the secretary Ministry of Maritime Affairs, chief economist, the chairman Gwadar Port Authority, the director-general Gwadar Development Authority, and other representatives from various ministries
The representatives of various ministries and divisions gave a detailed briefing on the implementation status of their respective projects in Gwadar.
All major projects under CPEC in Gwadar, including Gwadar Power Plant, distribution of 2,000 boat engines to fishermen of Gwadar, Khuzdar-Panjgur Transmis-sion line (via Nag-Basima) which connect Makran with National Grid, New Gwadar International Airport Project, the China-Pak Friendship Hospital, China-Pak Technical and Vocational Institute in Gwadar, the Gwadar East-bay Expressway Project, Gwadar Free Zone and Gwadar Port would become a shining pearl in the region.
The minister asked the relevant ministry and provincial governments to further beef up the security in order to avoid any untoward incidents. He said that the interim government is committed to implement the CPEC projects, while directing the relevant ministries and divisions to further expedite the work on these projects in order to come timely.
He said that in the recent budget, the allocation for Balochistan has been doubled which indicated that the federal government is committed to uplifting the province.
He said that several projects have been completed in Balochistan related to the education, health, and social sectors to facilitate the people of Balochistan, said the minister while reiterating that the government will continue its efforts to uplift the province.
During the meeting, officials from the Interior Ministry gave a detailed briefing on the security of Chinese working in Pakistan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023