‘Pak-China corridor to raise people’s living standards’

KARACHI: The completion of projects under the recently signed agreements between Pakistan and China will put the latter on the track of development and raise living standards of people, said Junaid Ashraf Taloo, chairman of Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD) on Saturday.
Taloo, in a statement, said China is a great friend of Pakistan and its investment in infrastructure and power projects is three times the collective foreign investment in the country during the last 10 years. “It is a sign of confidence in the government of Mian Nawaz Sharif,” he said.
Chairman ABAD congratulated Prime Minister and his team and said the investment of billions of dollars in infrastructure projects will be harbinger of a revolution in the construction industry. “It will be of immense benefits for those industries, which are allied to construction. This will have a ripple effect thus creating thousands of job opportunities,” he added.
Taloo emphasised on the need of mass transit projects in Karachi. The federal government should emphasise on an agreement with China for the construction of Karachi Circular Railway on priority basis by taking government of Sindh in confidence. “Construction of Karachi-Lahore expressway is a step in right direction in this regard,” he added.
Vice Chairman ABAD Muhammad Hanif Memon said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is certainly going to change the destiny of Pakistan. “It is essential that the federal government should ensure that provinces are taken into confidence and all steps in this matter should be taken with mutual consent,” Memon said. “People of Pakistan have not only sacrificed their lives but also suffered financially to the tune of over one hundred billion rupees.”
Memon said Pakistan was in dire need of financial assistance and China has played the role of true friend by bringing investment into Pakistan. The deteriorating law and order condition frightened investors to come to Pakistan.
Regional Chairman ABAD Muhammad Hassan Bakshi said it is our good luck that China has lent its helping hand, which will rebuild the trust of investors on Pakistan. “The work on these projects will certainly be going to attract investors from other countries too and will develop the engineering sector,” Bakshi said. “The completion of infrastructure project will help in the revival of the construction industry. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will boost the housing and construction sector in Gwadar, which will attract the builders and developers of Pakistan to invest billions of rupees.”
Bakshi said Pak Army will deploy a special force to provide security and safety to Chinese experts and to specifically ensure the completion of these projects.