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CPEC Authority chairman claims he is personally monitoring all projects initiated thus far, adding he is working to streamline operational issues
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Chairman Lt. Gen. (retd.) Asim Saleem Bajwa on Wednesday claimed the Gwadar Free Zone Phase-I has generated more than 1,200 jobs since becoming fully operational.
During a media briefing in Gwadar, he claimed further development of the Gwadar Port and industrial zones would yield massive benefits for the local and national economies. He said he was personally monitoring all the projects initiated under the CPEC umbrella, adding that he was working to streamline any operational issues delaying progress.
“The security situation for CPEC projects is much better now, and not a single project has been halted due to security reasons,” he said, adding that the majority of issues had been due to cross-border violence but the ongoing fencing of Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan and Iran had helped to reduce them.
To a question, he claimed there was no delay in the development of any of the projects, stressing that the trust level of Chinese investors in CPEC projects was increasing.
The former Army official said the unemployment rate in areas along the Western route was significant, and vowed that the construction of the route would generate employment for people living in areas surrounding it. He also claimed that fishermen in Gwadar were being accorded special attention, adding that this would result in “considerable” boosts to their income.
Of the coronavirus pandemic, he said it have proven very challenging for CPEC projects, but noted that “we have successfully come out [of it] and now it [CPEC] will develop with even higher pace.”