Special Economic Zones being established to harness economic development: Khusro

ISLAMABAD: Planning Minister Khusro Bakhtiar on Friday said efforts were being made to establish Special Economic Zones (SEZs) for economic development in the country.

He said this during a visit to Chinese Development and Research Centre in Beijing.

The minister said Gwadar was being developed as driving force for the country and establishment of Petrochemical Complex would give a new dimension to Gwadar.

He said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was important project of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Khusro Bakhtiar said in first phase of the project, attention was being paid on agriculture and energy projects.

He said latest technology for agriculture and irrigation techniques were being introduced to enhance production.

Read More: Pakistan, China have emphasised need to further enhance scope of CPEC: minister

The planning minister further said in order to bring investment in Pakistan, conducive environment was being provided to investors and industry would be established from light to heavy.

Separately while talking to a local Chinese TV channel in Beijing, Makhdum Khusro Bakhtiar said Pakistan and China had decided that the scope of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) needed to be further broadened.

“We have already expanded the scope of the CPEC in Joint Coordination Committee,” he said.

To a query about opening up of the CPEC to other countries, he said there were a couple of projects which could attract trilateral or collateral investments with different countries or two or three different parties.