August 18, 2022: Federal Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal has said that the incumbent government has succeeded in bringing out the country’s economy from the red zone and now working on its recovery while expediting the CPEC projects.
He made these remarks while speaking at a high-level dialogue titled “CPEC-Green Development organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on Thursday. Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Nong Rong was also present at the occasion. The event was attended by a large number of people.
Speaking at the occasion, the Minister said that Pakistan has found its path of stability, and the world's opinion about Pakistan has changed. “The upcoming projects between Pakistan and China will be based on the green economy and in energy sectors as the incumbent government is planning for renewable energy projects,” said the Minister while appreciating that China proved to be a friend by sending its investors to Pakistan.
As per President Xi's vision of CPEC Pakistan is willing to support & prioritize those projects which favor & promote a green economy, he added. The Minister said that the environment & climate change are important sectors & creating impacts worldwide. Despite our low carbon footprint, we are still one of the most vulnerable to the climate crisis.
“In April 2014, when President Xi visited Pakistan, $46 million worth of cooperation agreements were signed and the whole world began to look at Pakistan as a potential investment destination. However, he said that it was unfortunate that during the last four years not a single CPEC project was completed. “We are now trying to fast track this initiative particularly the construction of Industrialization Zones which were shelved by the previous government.
Political stability, social solidarity & continuity of policy are important pillars for achieving development & progress for any country, said the minister while reiterating that the government will complete all CPEC projects without any further delay.
Talking to the media, the Minister said that the CPEC Authority was established by the previous Government to promote cronyism. The CPEC authority remained dormant and failed to bring any investment leading it to become a white elephant, he added.
The Minister further added that CPEC Authority created Bureaucratic and structural impediments that brought CPEC projects to stand still.
The decision to shelve the Authority hinges on our resolve to restore the progress over the performance and implementation of CPEC projects that we were making from 2013 to 2018, he added.
Press Release
Posted on:2022-08-18T23:12:20+05:00
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