Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that the government is establishing a China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority to ensure uninterrupted progress and timely completion of different projects.
”The authority would be most effective in ensuring timely completion of the CPEC projects, besides ensuring better coordination and cooperation among all the relevant departments,” the prime minister said while chairing a high-level meeting to review progress on the CPEC projects.
He added that CPEC is a practical manifestation of the multi-dimensional and strategic partnership between the two countries.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Planning and Development Khusru Bakhtiar, Minister for Communication Murad Saeed, Minister for Energy Omar Ayub Khan, Advisor on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Assistant Nadeem Babar, Board of Investment chairman, federal secretaries, chief secretaries of Punjab and Balochistan, additional secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other senior officials, said PM Office Media Wing in a press release.
The prime minister said that the completion of ongoing projects on time is their top priority. He said the CPEC Authority would help ensure coordination among the concerned departments.
The completion of CPEC will not only benefit Pakistan and China, but also the entire region.
Minister for Planning and Development Khusru Bakhtiar briefed the meeting about the progress on CPEC projects in various sectors including energy, infrastructure, digital transmission of PTV, Orange Line, ML-1, Gwadar Port and other important projects.
The meeting reviewed progress on the important projects in the energy sector, including Port Qasim coal-fired power plant, Gwadar power plant, Kohala hydropower project, Hubco Thar coal power project, and Thar coal power project.
Different infrastructure projects were also discussed which included Sukkar-Multan Motorway, Thakot-Havelian section, Eastbay Expressway, New Gwadar International Airport, ML-1, and D.I. Khan-Zhob road project.
The prime minister was apprised that Sukkar-Multan Motorway (M-5) has been completed and would be inaugurated soon.
The prime minister accorded his approval for a pilot project for digitizing the transmission system of Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) with Chinese cooperation.
A detailed briefing was also given for transforming the railway system under the ML-1 project.