'Pakistan poised to take 'advantage' of regional situation'

As the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) enters its second phase, Lieutenant General (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa, the focal person of the project in the country, on Wednesday said that the situation in the region was getting better and the country was in a position to take advantage of it, adding that the work on the mega project was in full swing and the direction "very clear".

In an interview with a private TV channel, the CPEC Authority Chairman said that Pakistan has formed the authority with the intention of providing “one window operation” not only to foreign but local investors.

"Prime Minister [Imran Khan] has said that CPEC is a game changer for Pakistan. He asked me to ensure that the work on it doesn't get slowed down and also allowed me to approach directly to him to get rid of any bottlenecks," he said and added that the authority was in touch with relevant ministries as well as provinces.

Lt-Gen (retd) Asim said Pakistan's political and military leadership were on the same page on CPEC.

Cheap electricity

Communication, infrastructure and energy, he said, were the main hurdles that needed to be addressed and progress has been made in this regard as nine out of 17 energy-related projects have been completed and eight were underway.

He, however, also said that the country was looking to move to cheaper options to produce electricity as per the directions of the premier. "We're trying to move to hydroelectricity. Kohala and Azad Pattan power projects as well as the Diamer-Bhasha Dam would produce hydroelectricity. There are other projects in the pipeline too," he added.

The CPEC Authority chairman said that apart from hydroelectricity, in order to produce cheap electricity, we have to run the coal-based power plants with indigenously produced coal instead of the imported ones.

Special economic zones

Talking about the much-debated pace of CPEC, he clarified that despite the situation arising from Covid-19 pandemic, the work on the mega project continued. "We managed to carry on the work with our own workforce and the Chinese also came via special flights. This shows the interest on both sides," he said.

In order to improve Pakistan's growth, the country has to increase its export and limit the imports, said the CPEC Authority chairman.

Highlighting the importance of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in CPEC, he said that a 1,000-acre land has been acquired in Rashakai in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, adding that the ground-breaking of Allama Iqbal Industrial City in Faisalabad has also been performed.

Bajwa said that the tender for Dhabeji Economic Zone in Sindh would soon be issued. "Dhabeji is only 35 kilometres away from Karachi. Investors are already showing interest. A big Chinese company has approached," he said and added that 3,000 acres of land would be acquired for the economic zone.

He said that work on DI Khan Motorway was underway and will be extended to Zhob, adding that the work would soon begin on the road from Hoshab to Awaran.

Lt-Gen (retd) Asim said that both Chinese and Pakistanis were on the same page regarding the project and “we have now moved from phase-I towards economic activities”.

“First joint working group has formed… we couldn't visit due to the pandemic but were in touch with them via video call. We have talked about the tourism industry too."

The CPEC Authority chairman stressed that in order to achieve sustainable growth, Pakistan would have to enhance its yield and for that study groups from China are visiting the country.

"Work is starting on our research facilities. We have to adapt to our environment. Big Chinese firms were interested in corporate farming in Pakistan. We're trying to club our business houses and the Chinese ones for the benefit of both."