Nine SEZs to be established under CPEC: MPs’ body told

ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was informed on Thursday that special economic zones (SEZs) will be established each in all the four provinces, federal areas and Gilgit-Baltistan under the CPEC. These zones being open to all investors, both Pakistani and foreign, will also attract  companies from China, which will be relocated abroad in the coming years.

Under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, nine zones, nine sites for them have been declared priority sites under the CPEC and each province plus the federal area, Gilgit-Baltistan have been allocated SEZs and these sites have been identified by the provincial governmentsand there is close coordination between the federal and the provincial governments.  

The sites include Rashakai in Noshera, Hattar, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Bostan near Quetta, Khuzdar, Thebaji and Keti Bandar plus Gilgit and a federal industrial zone in Islamabad as well as one near Port Qasim.

The parliamentary committee on CPEC held its meeting Thursday with the chair of its Chairman  Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, in which the meeting was briefed on Special Economic Zones to be established under the CPEC.  

The Privatisation Commission Chairman, Miftah Ismail, briefed the committee on criterion for establishing the economic zones as well as the establishing such zones under the CPEC.  He said that nine sites have been declared priority sites under the CPEC and each province plus Federal area, Gilgit-Baltistan have been allocated SEZs.  “These sites have been identified by the provincial governments and there is close coordination between the federal and the provincial governments,” he told the parliamentary committee on CPEC.  

The Privatization Commission chairman told the Parliamentary Committee on CPEC that high level Chinese delegation will visit Pakistan in the first week of June to see these sites and discuss their feasibilities.  “The final decision will be made in consultation between the Chinese and Pakistani sides,” he said.  

The CPEC parliamentary committee observed that it should be ensured that the less-developed areas of Pakistan be given priority in development, so they are brought on par with the more developed areas of Pakistan. 

The Committee also directed the Ministry of Water and Power to carry out wind corridor survey in KP and Balochistan, which is being done, and necessary monitoring stations have been established in both the provinces. 

The ministry briefed the committee that 700MW of wind power electricity has been connected to the national grid while another 300MW solar energy is now connected to the national grid which is for the first time as renewable energy has also become a factor in the energy mix in Pakistan.

 Earlier, the Committee Chairman, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, briefed the committee about his participation in the highly-successful Belt & Road Forum in Beijing which was held on May 14-15, 2017.  

The committee welcomed the proactive participation of Pakistan’s delegation in the “One Belt One Road” Forum led by the prime minister which included the chief ministers of the four provinces. 

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed  said that CPEC is the flagship of OBOR, the pilot project, the single biggest comprehensive project between any two countries in the history of international relations. 

The chairman, parliamentary committee on CPEC, also welcomed the new member of the committee Senator Mir Kabir Ahmad Mohammad Shahi.  The committee decided that the next meeting would be devoted to a briefing by the minister for planning and development on the long term plan of CPEC.  

The meeting was attended by Senator Lt Gen (r ) Salahuddin Tirmizi, Senator Shibli Faraz, Akram Khan Durrani, Awais Leghari, Asad Omar and Secretary of the Committee  Nasim Khalid.