In Radio Pakistan’s Current Affairs programme, economist Dr. Shahid Hassan Khan said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will help Pakistan develop infrastructure which the country has desired since independence. Another economist Dr. Anwar Shah indicated that under CPEC capital will be invested all over the country.[1]
Similarly, the Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms, Ahsan Iqbal, said that he believed 2016 would be a year of innovation, eminence and productivity for Pakistan. He said that the CPEC project would transform Pakistan into an economic hub and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan would benefit equally. He added that efforts were underway under Vision 2025 for making Pakistan the 25th largest economy in the world over the next decade.[2]
Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has also termed CPEC a key to curb poverty in the country. He said that it would offer employment opportunities and could act as a bulwark against the forces of extremism and terrorism.[3]
The Chinese edition of the state-run tabloid Global Times conducted a survey where more than 200,000 internet users took part. Results indicate that people in China are keen to move ahead with Pakistan, rather than other neighboring countries, such as India.[4]
Despite the aforementioned significance of the CPEC project, the political conflict still persists. The current government has been maligned by the Pakistan People’s Party of (PPP) for not taking the parliament on the board on this issue. The PPP denied the legal position of an 11-member committee instituted by the PM for the provincial level consultations over CPEC and considering the option to hold demonstration against the PM Nawaz Sharif in the upcoming session of the National Assembly.[5]
[1] http://www.radio.gov.pk/newsdetail/81977/1
[2] http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/business/17-Jan-2016/pakistan-poised-to-rank-among-25-big-economies-by-2025
[3] http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2016/01/16/uncategorized/cpec-could-act-as-bulwark-against-extremism-sartaj-aziz/
[4] http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/chinese-prefer-pak-want-to-move-away-india-as-neighbour-survey-116011500300_1.html
[5] http://tribune.com.pk/story/1028988/ignoring-parliament-on-cpec-ppp-plans-to-launch-protest-against-pm-nawaz/