Cabinet body on CPEC prioritises Gwadar development

ISLAMABAD: While granting priority to the four special economic zones (SEZs) out of a total nine proposed SEZs, the eight-member Cabinet Committee on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in its maiden session on Friday decided to prioritise the development of Gwadar, special economic zones, Pak Railways’ Main Line-1, inclusion of social sector development and third country participation in the CPEC.

Pakistan is expecting that a few dozen major industrial units and couple of hundred SMEs (small and medium enterprises) could be relocated from China to these SEZs in low technology and some in high technology with the possibility of generating thousands of job opportunities in months and years to come. Pakistan is witnessing massive trade deficit, especially, with China and there is a need to boost manufacturing base for promoting exports and the SEZs can play a major role on this front. The PTI led government constituted eight-member cabinet committee on CPEC under the chairmanship of Minister for Planning Khusro Bakhtyar and the committee held its inaugural meeting here on Friday. The cabinet committee on CPEC led by the minister for planning and comprised of minister for foreign affairs, minister for law and Justice, minister for finance, minister for petroleum, minister for railways, adviser to PM on commerce, textile, industry and production, investment and minister of state for interior.

Three prioritised SEZs included Rashakai in KP, Dhabeji in Sindh, Faisalabad in Punjab and Gwadar at Balochistan. Top officials claimed that the issue of providing subsidy for development of SEZs was resolved and some major industrial units and small and medium enterprises were expected to be relocated from China. Alone in Beijing, the Chinese have shut down over 35,000 industrial units because of smog problems and Pakistan can lure few thousands out of these closed units to shift them to potentially attractive SEZs.

According to statement issued by the Ministry of Planning, the inaugural meeting of the Cabinet Committee on China Pakistan Economic Corridor was held under the chairmanship of Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar, Minister for Planning, Development and Reform. Bakhtiyar apprised the meeting of his recent interaction with his counterpart the vice chairman, national development, reform commission of China.

On the occasion, Planning Secretary, Zafar Hasan, gave an overview of the ongoing projects and run down of the schedule of upcoming events, leading to the 8th joint cooperation committee. The committee instructed the conveners of all the joint working groups to submit a detail agenda till 30th of this month for approval. The meeting of the joint working groups are planned to be convened in October. The CPEC’s Joint Cooperation Committee meeting is tentatively planned in the first week of December in China.