By Shafqat Ali

 

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 3 (Gwadar Pro) - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday afternoon said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in the Balochistan province will be completed within the stipulated time.

 

In a meeting with the new Balochistan Chief Minister, Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, here at his office, PM Khan emphasized that the competition of CPEC on time will benefit the Balochistan province.

 

“The federal government will ensure the provision of all possible resources for the development of the backward areas of Balochistan,” he pledged.

 

The PM mentioned the government’s efforts to expedite work on the CPEC projects, especially in Balochistan.

 

The Chief Minister briefed the Prime Minister on CPEC and the development projects in Balochistan and also exchanged views on the overall political situation in the province, according to an official statement released by the PM’s office.

 

Recently, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that his country needs investment, especially from China, to accelerate industrialization and provide jobs to its growing population.

 

The PM had also directed the authorities concerned to make land and tax incentives available to attract more and more Chinese investors.

 

“Pakistan needs investment to accelerate industrialization. It is critical to create maximum employment opportunities for our growing population, 65 percent of which are under the age of 35,” PM Khan had noted while chairing a high-powered recent meeting.

 

He added that authorities concerned need to take all possible measures to provide land, electricity and gas connections, and tax incentives to attract more and more Chinese companies to invest in Pakistan and populate the Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

 

PM Khan was briefed that out of the total 27 SEZs in the country, the work on five SEZs including Dhabeji in Sindh, Rashakai in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Bostan in Balochistan, Allama Iqbal Industrial City in Punjab and Gwadar in Balochistan was in full swing.

 

An effective single window operation facility is being set up at each of these SEZs and a Facilitation Center in CPEC Authority to resolve all issues of the potential Chinese investors under one roof.

 

CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of China's multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). CPEC is a collection of infrastructure and other projects under construction throughout Pakistan since 2013.

 

BRI was launched by the Chinese President Xi Jinping when he assumed presidency in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes.