Ahsan Iqbal Insists Majority of CPEC Workers & Engineers Are Pakistani

The Minister for Planning and Development Mr. Ahsan Iqbal spoke to the Senate recently, apprising them of the work going on with the CPEC.

Majority of CPEC Workers are Pakistanis

The Planning Minister informed the Senate that majority of workers on the CPEC mega project happen to be Pakistanis, countering the influx of several media reports that Chinese workers were being given priority when it came to the projects.

He said,

Majority of engineers and workers are from Pakistan. They are performing in power as well as project management sectors.

The Minister of Planning also said that completion of the projects is ultimately the contractor’s responsibility and in case of delays, appropriate actions will be taken as mentioned in the contract. He added that many Pakistani engineers have been trained by Chinese companies for hiring them.

No Incentives Given to The Chinese For Importing Goods

Responding to a question Mr. Ahsan said that Chinese companies were not given any concessions for importing goods into Pakistan as this would affect local manufacturers. He stated,

This is a fact that Pakistani cement, steel and other industry related to construction business were thriving and I was recently informed that cement industry was planning to double its production to meet the needs of the market.

The government has taken steps to train unskilled workers for working on CPEC related projects. Local managers, workers and engineers are also hired by Chinese contractors for CPEC projects and are getting hands on experience in their fields of expertise.

Local Transporters To Meet Demands

The Minister went on to say that due to the increasing demand for transportation and logistics, local transporters will be involved for the provision of the required facilities. He said that local contractors are working in tandem with Chinese contractors which provides the former with the opportunity to learn and employ modern construction methods.