BEIJING: Pakistan and China on Wednesday signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) covering the supply of water from Tarbela to Islamabad, establishment of a Special Economic Zone in the proposed new city Zulfikarabad in Sindh, the building of 6,000 flats in I-15 sector on private-public partnership basis, and an agreement for desilting of canals and barrages in Sindh province.
President Zardari also held meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Beijing and discussed regional issues with them. MoUs were signed by respective officials from the two sides and witnessed by President Asif Ali Zardari and members of his entourage here.
The agreement on desilting canals in Sindh was signed by Saleem Mandviwala, Chairman Board of Investment, with the President of China Harbour Engineering Company Limited. The MoU on the establishment of Zulfikarabad Special Economic Zone was signed by Managing Director Zulfikarabad Development Authority Lt. Gen (retd) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah and Yang Yong, Chairman of the Sichuan Huantong Holding Investment Limited.
The MoU for water supply to Islamabad from Tarbela was signed by Farkhand Iqbal, Chairman Capital Development Authority, and Zhang Chun, President of China Machinery Engineering Company (CMEC). The former also signed another MoU for building 6,000 flats and developing Sector I-15 in Islamabad with another Chinese company CRFG (China Railway First Group).
Spokesperson to the President Senator Farhatullah Babar, while giving details of the agreement and MoUs, said that with the signing of memorandums and agreements today, a fresh impetus had been provided to strengthening the economic engagement between the two countries.
The president also held separate meetings with four leading Chinese business executives inviting them to take advantage of the investment friendly policies of the government and to further extend their business ventures in all sectors, especially in the areas of energy, oil and gas, mining, engineering goods, electronics, chemicals, infrastructure, telecommunications, IT and agriculture.
Senator Babar said that the president highlighted to the Chinese business executives great investment opportunities present in Pakistan and invited them to further extend their business ventures in the country, while assuring them that the government would provide all possible facilitation to the Chinese personnel.
President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday held a meeting with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai reaffirming Pakistan’s unabated support towards peace, stability and socio-economic development of Afghanistan.
Spokesperson Babar, while giving details of the meeting of the two presidents, said President Zardari recalling his meeting with the Afghan president in Chicago in May, said he looked forward to the visit of his Afghan brother to Pakistan later this year to attend the Quadrilateral Summit. He pointed out that Pakistan firmly believed that permanent peace and stability could only be ensured following an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process in that country.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon met on Wednesday on the sidelines of SCO summit in Beijing and agreed to work together to strengthen regional connectivity through road, air and rail links between the countries to promote mutual trade and economic activities.
During the meeting, the two presidents also discussed a wide range of issues in bilateral relations and the regional situation.