Muhammad Adrees, former President Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and Chairman Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) has lauded the efforts of Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif to complete China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) related projects in this province positively up to 2017.
He was sharing the achievements of his visit to China during a press conference here on Thursday. Mian Muhammad Adrees had visited China along with Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif from July 24-29, 2016 to review the progress and implementation on the CPEC related projects. He said that economic revival is the ultimate objective of this government as well business community. He said that the Pakistan was facing acute shortage of energy which had badly affected its production in addition to fomenting unemployment in the country.
He said that the present government made serious efforts and in this connection a landmark agreement of CPEC and its related projects was signed during the visit of Chinese president. Pakistan government also took a number of steps to put economy back on the right track.
In this connection, he quoted to example of uninterrupted supply of gas and electricity to industrial sector with number of micro and macro level economic improvements. The law and order situation also improved in the country and it helped industrial sector to enhance its production with its trickling impacts on the overall economy in addition to creating new job opportunities and generating more revenue for the government in the form of taxes and duties etc.
Mian Adrees said that at present the GDP growth rate is around 3-4 percent which should be 5 percent at the minimum level to ensure sustained development of the economy. Commenting on the CPEC and its related projects, Mian Adrees said the CM Punjab is closely watching these projects and due to his extra efforts, 1370MW Sahiwal coal based power plant is six months ahead of its completion schedule. It is due to his commitment and aggressiveness, that proverb of 'China Speed' has been replaced with 'Punjab Speed'. Further, explaining the successful visit of China, he said that CM had worked round-the-clock to oversee the implementation on CPEC related projects.