Parliamentary Committee on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) met
Friday, 3rd May, 2019
We shall ensure the timely completion of CPEC projects; Sher Ali Arbab
Islamabad, May 3, 2019: The Parliamentary Committee on CPEC, met here today, at the Parliament House under the Chairmanship of Mr. Sher Ali Arbab, MNA. The Committee was briefed by the Ministries like Communication, Power, Maritime Affairs, Aviation and the lead Ministry of Planning Development and Reform. The Minister for Planning, Development & Reform Mr. Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiyar apprised the Committee about the latest developments and decisions after the visit of Prime Minister of Pakistan to Beijing. The Minister also told the Committee that in power sector our main objective is self reliance and to balance energy mix. In future we shall use our own coal and imported coal plants will be converted into local coal and in our Special Economic Zones we shall promote such industry which can substitute the burden of imports. He further shed light on the Social Economic Plan of CPEC which will be discussed in detail in future meetings exclusively. The Chairman while going through the comprehensive detailed briefing remarked that the recommendations given by the previous CPEC Committee are valid and all concerned while briefing their part also specifically mentioned the implementation on these directions as we believe in institutional continuity.
After the briefing by the Planning Division the Honorable Members raised different questions regarding the on ground situation, lack of proper planning and sustainability as well as commercial viability. The Minister for Planning replied that he is agreed with some of the concerns of the Honorable Members and we are ready to include the suggestions while finalizing the matters discuss today of these projects.
The Secretary Communication, Railway and Chairman NHA also participated in the briefing and replied the questions relating to their projects in the CPEC. The Chairman expressed his satisfaction on the pace of the work and further said that our Committee will visit the projects sites to ensure the timely completion of these projects and also carry out threadbare deliberation on each project particularly during our visit to Gwadar to address the grievances of the local population highlighted by the Member of that area considering it as a national cause and important factor in economic growth of the country.
The meeting was attended by Mr. Noor Alam Khan, MNA, Mr. Umar Aslam Khan, MNA, Ms. Zille Huma, MNA, Ms Mehnaz Akber Aziz, MNA, Mr. Raza Rabbani Khar, MNA, Mr. Muhammad Aslam Bhootani, MNA, the Secretaries of the Ministries of Planning, Development & Reforms, Water & Power, Communication, Maritimes Affairs, Railway, Aviation, including Chairman National Highway Authority and Chairman Gwadar Port Authority.