CPEC revives Gwadar, Thar projects: Mushahid

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Policy Institute (IPI) on Wednesday called for comprehensive structural reforms in Pakistan's governance, industrial infrastructure, economy, and energy sector to maximally benefit from the next stage of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) related cooperation with China.

The recommendations were made in a report titled ‘BRI & CPEC: Venturing into the Future’ published by IPI, an Islamabad based think tank, on the occasion of the second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) being held in Beijing from April 25 – 27.

Chairman Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Senator Mushahid Hussain, who has penned the foreword of the report, said: “CPEC has resolved Pakistan’s chronic energy crisis, revived dead projects like Gwadar Port and Thar coal, given gainful employment to 7000 Pakistanis. Furthermore, CPEC is uniting the Federation of Pakistan, bringing together the less developed areas in the quest for a better tomorrow.”

IPI Executive Director Prof Sajjad Bokhari said: “The economic cooperation under CPEC is vital as the project is both an engine of growth and of strategic importance. To be successful, multi-dimensional cooperation should go beyond energy and infrastructure projects to address human resource requirements, as well as training and skill development in order to achieve improved connectivity”.