CPEC: Chinese officials being granted Pakistani visas on daily basis, issue completely redressed
Islamabad: Chinese officials working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are being granted visas on a daily basis, a high level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan was told.
The meeting was apprised that with the “complete redressal” of visa issues for Chinese officials coming to Pakistan under the CPEC, the Ministry of Interior was disposing of the “new cases on daily basis” which was “positively impacting” the pace of work on the CPEC projects.
This month, the government had approved a new visas policy for the Chinese nationals working in the CPEC projects. Under this policy, the Chinese nationals will be granted long term visas – with a minimum validity of two years.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the Chinese citizens would now be issued two-year work visas within 48 hours from the respective missions, adding that a separate visa category had been created for Chinese citizens related to CPEC projects. He said that the government has ordered special desks to facilitate Chinese citizens at the airports.
The Interior Minister later told the China Economic Net that Prime Minister Imran Khan had ordered to remove all hurdles in the smooth working of the CPEC projects.
“The PM took special interest on the visas issue and directed us to resolve the matter as soon as possible. Now there is no issue of visas for the CPEC related officials of China,” he said.
To a question, Ahmed said the Chinese nationals were being provided adequate security so that they can concentrate on their jobs. “The completion of CPEC is in our own interest. The PM has already issued directives to expedite the work on the CPEC projects. We are taking all steps to facilitate the process (of working on the CPEC projects),” he added.
At the Tuesday afternoon meeting, aimed to review foreign investment in export industries under CPEC, Prime Minister Imran Khan termed timely completion of CPEC as one of government’s foremost priorities.
He stressed that measures were being taken for the promotion of investment in export industry in the country’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs), being established under the CPEC.
He added that export industries besides providing jobs, increasing economic volume and the precious foreign exchange will also ensure the access of “Made-in-Pakistan” brand in the international market.
Federal Ministers Shaukat Tarin, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Asad Umar, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Ali Haider Zaidi, Advisor on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, Special Assistants to PM Dr Waqar Masood, Dr Moeed Yusuf, Chairman CPEC Authority Lt. General Asim Saleem Bajwa (retd) and senior officers concerned were present in the meeting which was also attended through video-link by Governor State Bank Raza Baqir.
The Board of Investment (BoI) briefed the meeting in detail about comprehensive strategy for the establishment of export industries in SEZs.
The meeting was apprised of the identification of possible foreign investors from China in different sectors and the incentives being offered to them for direct investment in Pakistan.
The meeting was informed about the establishment of mobile assembly units by three big international mobile companies in Pakistan as well as their domestic consumption and the positive effects on exports.
Besides, the meeting was also briefed about the measures taken by the CPEC Authority, the Ministry of Industries and Production and the BoI.
