It is quite encouraging to note that flow of foreign investment in Pakistan is gradually picking up pace which hopefully lead to accelerated development and improvement of existing facilities in different sectors in the country.
The comprehensive project of peace and economic progress called “China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is already under implementation in different parts of the country involving huge investment of 46 billion dollars by our time-tested, all weather great friendly country China. CPEC focuses on road building and energy infrastructure to end chronic lingering power shortages in Pakistan and to link China’s land-locked north-west with the deep water Gwadar Port on the Arabian Seas.
According to reports, on top of the 46 billion dollars CPEC now China is going to make quite welcome additional investment of 8.5 billion dollars as part of both neighbouring ideal friendly countries’ joint energy, transport and infrastructure plan.
Reports quoted Federal Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal as saying in an interview the other day that about 4.5 billion dollars of this additional investment from China will be spent on upgrading tracks and signaling system on main Railways line from Karachi to Peshawar and increasing the trains speed on the main line from current 60 to 80 kilometers per hour (KPH) to 160 km per hour . In all fairness, both upgrading of track and signaling system and increasing the existing sped of trains projects on main line have been in the boiling pot for sometime but could not be undertaken earlier than now , as urgently as required in the prevailing circumstances , due to acute paucity of huge resources needed in this regard. Furthermore, remaining 4 billion dollars of this additional investment will be utilised on LNG terminal and transmission line.
All this more and more investment into Pakistan from China is surely and certainly symbol of deep-rooted friendship between the two countries which is increasing and strengthened with the passage of time. Undoubtedly, the most ideal friendly and neighbourlY relations between the two countries will be touching new heights, to the envy of many countries around the world, with timely and enthusiastic implementation and completion of CPEC which will be turning dream of ushering in an era of regional development and prosperity and progress for the people of Pakistan into a reality, Inshallah.
Asmaar Bilal
LAHORE
