Pakistani Senate Standing Committee on Planning considers CPEC Authority Amendment Bill 2021 and 2022

Islamabad: Senate Standing Committee on Planning, which met under the chairmanship of Saleem Mandviwala, considered China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Amendment Bill 2021 and 2022.

While briefing the Senate Standing Committee, the Secretary Planning Daud Bareach informed that the CPEC Authority was already failing to do much, it was no longer needed and a bill for its abolition will soon be introduced in parliament.

Chairman of the Committee asked the Planning officials: “Is CPEC Authority being abolished?”

Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has stated that CPEC Authority is being abolished, Mandviwala added.

Secretary Planning replied that the Ministry of Law and relevant agencies were being consulted on the abolition of CPEC Authority.

He maintained that the Federal Minister for Planning was of the view that the formation of CPECA had slowed down the pace of the corridor projects. The federal minister wants the realignment of the Authority, he mentioned.

At this point Mandviwala remarked that the CPEC Authority was actually established to speed up the work on the CPEC projects.

The committee deferred the CPECA amendment bill till the matter pertaining to the CPEC Authority is clarified by the government.

Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal will personally come and will inform the Committee regarding CPEC Authority, the secretary told the meeting. On the development budget for the next fiscal, the committee was informed that the Public Sector Development Projects (PSDP) for the next financial year had not yet been finalized.

“Priorities are being set for the development budget for the next financial year,” the Secretary Planning maintained.

He said that in development funds, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir were being given priority.