PM Khan extends CPEC cabinet committee ahead of China visit

ISLAMABAD: Ahead of his China visit in November, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday reorganized the cabinet’s special committee on CPEC with induction of more members.

According to details, the important decision of extension of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) committee was directed by Premier Khan, which has increased the total number of committee members to 12.

The special committee is instructed to present a comprehensive report to the Premier before the maiden trip to China.

After making a final review of the matters pertaining to the CPEC, the committee will submit its report.

Last month, the Prime Minister formed a cabinet committee to look after the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor.

As per the official notification, a nine-member committee was constituted to overview the CPEC which is headed by the Minister of Planning and Development Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister of Law and Justice Farogh Naseem, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Minister of Petroleum Division Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid and PM’s adviser on Commerce, Textile, Industry and Production and Investment are also the members of the committee.

Pakistani officials expect that the CPEC will regain momentum after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to China.

In his three-day visit which begins on November 3, Pakistan’s prime minister will also attend the Chinese International Import Expo 2018 in Shanghai.

Official sources said that the CPEC will get momentum with the signing of an agreement on industrial zones, progress on agricultural cooperation and addition of a social sector joint working group during the prime minister’s visit to China.

The pace of the flagship bilateral cooperation project had slowed down over the past several months due to government transition in Pakistan.