ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday highlighted the interest that international investors are showing in Pakistan as proof of the government’s successful economic policies and investor friendly environment.
He noted this at a meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that he chaired in Beijing.
During the meeting, he was briefed on the progress being made on CPEC. He was informed that an agreement had been signed on the 300MW power project which would be started soon. He also received updates on various other projects related to CPEC such as the Gwadar water supply project as well as the hospital, technical institutes and mass transit railway projects being set up. In addition he was also informed of the fact that China had agreed to consider and examine the Indus Cascade projects.
Nawaz also congratulated the Water and Power Ministry for securing an agreement on the $1.5 billion Lahore-Matiari Transmission Line project within CPEC’s framework. He further directed its active implementation.
He also gave his felicitations to the Pakistani delegation for integrating Mass Transit projects for all four provinces within the framework while directing the Railway Ministry to provide them with technical expertise in the projects implementation. He noted that road connectivity projects would open up under-developed areas of Pakistan to investment.
In regards to the establishment of Industrial parks, the PM directed federal authorities to initiate the process of providing electricity, gas and telecommunication to the proposed sites.
He highlighted the fact that the provinces were represented in projects within the CPEC, adding that it was important so that the benefits of these projects were equitably distributed among the provincial units.
The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Water and Power Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi, PM Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad and other senior officials.
