Early completion of CPEC related project sought

Participants of a dialogue held under the aegis of Parliamentary Committee on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on Saturday stressed the need to expedite proposed projects under the One Road One Belt Initiative in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)

This dialogue was presided over by Parliamentary Committee on CPEC Chairman Shair Ali Arbab. Member of National Assembly (MNA) Nafeesa Khatak, Sardar Tanveer Illiyas Khan, Legislative Assembly Speaker Ch Anwar Ul Haq, Planning and Development Minister Ch Muhammad Rasheed, Finance Minister Abdul Majid Khan, officials of different affiliated departments of the federal and regional governments, academics, businessmen and civil society and media representatives were also present.

Chairman committee Shair Ali Arbab in his inaugural speech said parliamentary committee in its recommendation would suggest the measures to government for expediting of CPEC projects in the national interest after a nationwide consultation with stake holders and regional governments to collect maximum benefits of the opportunity. He said committee comprised members of parliament belonging to all the political parties and the recommendations would be taken as unanimous and national consensus abiding the government to take steps accordingly, removing the apprehensions of smaller provinces like Balochistan, AJK and Gilgit Baltistan (GB). He said the committee first preferred GB to hold a dialogue on the issue and collected the recommendations from all the stake holders, then the second was AJK where they would hold this dialogue and after that they would go to Balochistan to listen to the issues and apprehensions of the most backward province, the start point of the One Belt One Road initiative.

He said that 4-M Expressway (Mansehra-Muzaffarabad-Mirpur-Mangla) project of AJK under CPEC was very important as it would reduce distance, along with linking it to GB directly through a tunnel in Neelum Valley, which would benefit all the stake holders associated with the trade route, besides boosting tourism industry in the region.

He said the committee would suggest the government to prioritize this project along with a special economic zone (SEZ) out of nine total, in Mirpur AJK so that the region could collect maximum benefits of the initiative besides catching huge investment in tourism and other sectors after having a highest standard of road connectivity. He assured the participants and representatives of AJK government to extend the highest level cooperation and support for resolving the issues at central level regarding CPEC projects including energy generation ones and said he was representing the parliament on this forum so no government official would dare to ignore his instructions.