CPEC to benefit Pakistan and entire region, says prime minister

He said CPEC was a game-changer project for the country by helping it rid of deprivation and bringing peace and prosperity and added, it was a testament to a decades-long strong friendship between Pakistan and China.

Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day summit in Islamabad to create awareness about the project and bring investment in the country, the prime minister termed it a “new concept in diplomacy” and said it would help in alleviation of poverty and unemployment.

Recalling Chinese assistance to Pakistan following the devastating earthquake in 2005 and floods in 2010, he said the two sides never left each other no matter what.

Prime Minister Nawaz said during his Pakistan visit, President Xi Jinping told the parliament that Pakistan stood by China when it was isolated.

He said now China has reached out to Pakistan when the country stood economically isolated.

The premier termed CPEC most important initiative of the 21st century and said it perfectly complements Pakistan’s vision 2025.

He said the economic value of the project was US 46 billion dollars, however, insisted that the genuine impact will be many times more.

The Prime Minister said CPEC would benefit all regions of the country including  Gilgit Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

He described the development of Gwadar as the “jewel project” of the CPEC, with its own power generation, road, and rail and air links.

Prime Minister Nawaz added US 35 billion dollars would be invested in the country’s energy sectors alone to produce 10400 MW electricity. The majority of the power projects would be completed by 2018, he claimed.

The CPEC summit was attended by Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Adviser to PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Chairman Parliamentary Committee on CPEC Mushahidullah Khan, Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong and officials of the business community.