Govt has expedited work on CPEC projects: Ahsan Iqbal

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said that the government has expedited work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

He stressed that there was a potential of over US $ 100 billion in Pakistan’s blue economy.

“To tap the potential, the government is launching new projects for the development of coastal areas,” he said while addressing the opening session of the international symposium on ‘Geo Economic & Maritime dimensions of CPEC.’

The minister highlighted that after taking charge, the alliance government has expedited work on the projects under CPEC.

He maintained that previously, no work was done on the projects in the port city of Gwadar for years.

Iqbal mentioned that under the leadership of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the mega project of CPEC was launched by the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)-led government that would prove to be a game changer for Pakistan.

The minister said every Pakistani citizen would have to work really hard to play role in the country’s development and to increase the per capita income in the country.

He pointed out that during the tenure of PML-N government, investment was made on a large scale. It added 11,000 MW of electricity to the national grid besides constructing a network of highways and motorways across the country.

Ahsan Iqbal underlined that the government is also focusing on launching new development projects in collaboration with the private sector to minimize the burden on the government exchequer.