SDPI conference: Sh Rashid invites India, Russia to join CPEC project

ISLAMABAD: Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has asked India and Russia to join China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, claiming that Asian look is going to change through Gwadar Port.

The Railways Minister addressing a panel on the second day of 21st Sustainable Development Conference organised here by Sustainable Development Policy Institute said that we want to work with every nation to improve our economy. He said that with our available financial resources, we are committed to open more feasible and productive ways for trade and transportation. He said that as 80 per cent of Afghanistan is controlled by Taliban, we have to wait to make routes through Afghanistan to trade with other countries. CPEC is a win-win arrangement for both Pakistan and China and all the projects under CPEC must be materialised without any delay, as it would lead to industrialisation in Pakistan.

He said that CPEC is not only a package of road and energy projects, but also a tool of connectivity among think tanks, public and private sector, common people, and ideas.

For the successful transformation from trade to knowledge corridor, he said, it is very important to take confidence building measures among all the stakeholders.

Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar said the government is committed to taking right decisions, which also include hard decisions. An honest and transparent approach is what we need right now to come out of this financial urgency.

Dr Nagesh Kumar, Head of UNESCAP, India, said that the cost of doing trade with South Asia is more than doing trade with America. Some initiatives are taking place to improve transport connectivity, he said, adding that UNESCAP is working on improving and signing treaties for UNESCAP and dry ports should be connected with each other.

Fei Deng, Country Programme Manager World Bank said that Pakistan can achieve more human capital, economic and inclusive growth, and better jobs and conserved environment by bringing about structural reforms in its policies and innovative financial investment in blue economy. Furkat A Sidiqov from Uzbekistan said that social, cultural, and economic gaps between Pakistan and Uzbekistan hamper the relations between the two countries. He proposed using knowledge-sharing as a key component in filling these gaps.

Shakeel Ramay, CEO Zalme Foundation, said that we need to learn from the success models of Europe and China to achieve our business aspirations. He pointed out that political economy forms the basis of whether the potential benefits of economic corridors reach the population.

Shafqat Kakakhel, Chairperson SDPI Board of Governors, said India and Pakistan must incorporate dry land areas management in their regional bilateral dialogues.