ANI October 30 reported that at a meeting of CPEC’s 11th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC)
on October 27, Pakistan flagged prolonged delays in five of its crucial power and rail projects with China and urged China to put USD 18.5 billion worth of five projects on the fast track.
Pakistan's The Express Tribune said Pakistan's Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal expressed fears
that any further delay would collapse the rail system in the country in one year and delay 3,100
megawatts of electricity generation. The five projects that Islamabad has requested China to
fast track the work on include — USD 10 billion Mainline-I railway project, USD 1.2 billion
Karachi Circular Railway project, USD 1.6 billion Azad Pattan hydropower project, USD 2.5
billion Kohala power project and USD 3 billion Thar Block-I coal project on priority, reported
The Express Tribune quoting officials who attended the meeting as saying. Pakistan also asked
China to consider Islamabad’s request for the relocation of USD 584 million Gwadar power
plant. The Planning Minister also said “The government has not signed minutes of the 11th
JCC and a formal announcement about the outcome will be made during the visit of Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China. The PM will go on a two-day visit on November 1.”
(Comment: At least 28 Chinese projects worth USD 18.8 billion are wrapped up however still
USD 34 billion worth of schemes are yet to be completed. Since China took the ML-I project
in the CPEC fold, Pakistan Railways had not invested in the project.)
|
