by Shafqat Ali

 

ISLAMABAD, March.14(Gwadar Pro) –The China Pakistan Study Centre (CPSC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) hosted a roundtable discussion on ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Azad Jammu Kashmir.’ 

 

The panelists at the discussion included Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Director General ISSI, Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman Boards of Governors ISSI, Dr Shaheen Akhtar, Associate Professor, National Defence University, Zulfiqar Abbasi, Former President, Azad Kashmir Chamber of Commerce,  Iqbal Ratyal, Former AJK Civil Servant, Ershad Mehmood, Director Centre for Peace, Development and Reforms (CPDR), Dr Samina Sabir, Assistant Professor, AJK University, Dr Rukhsana Khan, Assistant Professor Cultural Heritage and Archaeology AJK University and Tahir Murtaza, Civil Society Representative, said an official statement issued on Saturday.

 

Opening the panel discussion, Dr Talat Shabbir, Director CPSC said that since its inception, CPEC had yielded benefits for people from across the country. 

 

“The large-scale projects focus on energy, connectivity and industrial growth. The initiation of such projects is essential for development and prosperity in the region. However, there is always a possibility of certain challenges that can hinder the implementation of projects of this magnitude,"he said.

 

In his remarks, Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Director General ISSI said that CPEC had become an essential component of the Pakistan-China bilateral relationship and stressed the need to ensure smooth implementation of CPEC projects in AJK.

 

Chaudhry also highlighted the barriers which needed to be addressed to facilitate investment in the region. He said the government should remove all hurdles to facilitate the early completion of the CPEC projects.

 

During the discussion, participants agreed that CPEC will bring prosperity in the region by developing infrastructure and creating employment opportunities. Further, a tourism corridor can also be developed vis a vis CPEC. 

 

They emphasized that the government of Pakistan should give priority to other projects such as the 4M (Material, Method, Machine, Man) and the Special Economic Zones (SERs) and not just focus on energy projects. 

 

They said bureaucratic barriers should be removed for private investors so that they can be made stakeholders in CPEC.

 

Moreover, the local community’s skills should be developed and economic opportunities need to be generated, they added. The panelists suggested a comprehensive one roof mechanism for resolving issues related to CPEC in AJK.