Whole nation united on CPEC, Imran Khan tells cabinet

Gwadar Pro

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday afternoon told his cabinet members that the whole nation was united on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – aimed at development of the whole region.

A senior minister of Imran Khan’s team told Gwadar Pro hours after the federal cabinet meeting here that Imran Khan was optimistic about completing all the CPEC projects on time.

“The PM once again said that the whole nation was united on CPEC and there are no differences. On Iron Brother China, Pakistan is unanimous and all the Pakistani parties believe CPEC is in the best national interest,” he said, quoting the PM.

The minister said work on CPEC projects was discussed in the cabinet meeting and the PM expressed satisfaction over the pace of the work.

“The PM and the whole cabinet agreed that the Special Economic Zones will result in economic boom and will economically develop the underdeveloped areas,” he added.

Recently, Prime Minister Imran Khan had vowed that his government would complete the CPEC at “any cost” as the multi-billion-dollar project was a manifestation of the all-weather friendship between Pakistan and China.

PM Khan said CPEC was an excellent plan for Pakistan’s socio-economic development and the “gigantic multi-faceted initiative would guarantee a bright future for the nation.”

The corridor, he said, was a manifestation of Pakistan-China friendship and the government will complete it at any cost and deliver its fruit to every Pakistani.

Previously, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for the two countries to speed up the projects under the CPEC to help Pakistan’s economic recovery.

He also hoped that the Pakistani government would provide more protection for Chinese companies and citizens working in the country.

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The CPEC is a collection of infrastructure and other projects under construction throughout Pakistan since 2013. The BRI was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes.

This week, CPEC Authority chairman Lt. General Asim Saleem Bajwa (retd) resigned as Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting to concentrate more on CPEC.

Asim Saleem Bajwa, in a tweet, revealed that he had requested Prime Minister to relinquish him from the additional portfolio of SAPM on Info and broadcasting. He added that PM approved his request.

In a recent interview, Bajwa had said that he would resign from the SAPM post. “I wish to pay my full attention to CPEC projects. CPEC projects are the future of Pakistan,” he added.

The former military official had replaced Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan as special assistant on April 27, 2020. He remained the Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) from 2012 to 2016 and later served as the commander of Pakistan Army’s southern command.