CPEC set to prove Pakistan’s Suez Canal: minister

ISLAMABAD: Rana Muhammad Afzal Khan, the state finance minister, on Wednesday said China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project would prove to be a game-changer for not only Pakistan but also the region.

“If we keep due focus and work hard, we could benefit from the CPEC like Egypt did from the Suez Canal,” Khan said addressing a forum titled “Pakistan Leadership Conversation 2018” organised by ACCA Pakistan.

The basic theme of the discussion was “Collective Vision for an Emerging Pakistan.

The minister said collective perception of doing business was changing all over the world and new avenues were emerging at an exponential rate, opening new opportunities for investment. “Pakistan in this respect has immense diversity and a huge potential to offer.”

He continued that there was a great scope of investment in agriculture, especially halal food, energy, and low cost housing.

“We want people to explore this potential,” the minister said promising necessary assistance for both local and foreign investors. Khan underscored the government was keen to see the country transform into an emerging hub of economic activities.

“[For that] the country should be technically prepared to cope with the challenges of the competitive business environment and ensure international standards,” he said.

The minister went on to say the people of the country today were better able to access financial services, especially due to the use of internet. “They are fully abreast with the developments taking place in the world, but our journey does not end here,” he said.

The minister informed the audience that efforts were afoot to equip people to tap their true potential. “We are striving hard to enhance people’s access to financial services and technological know-how to enable them to contribute to the process of development in the country,” state minister said.

In the end, the minister thanked Sajjeed Aslam, the head of ACCA Pakistan, for inviting him to the discussion and lauded the participants for sharing their ideas for speeding up the sustainable economic growth of the country.