Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a guarantee to progress and prosperity of the country and every effort will be made for the implementation of its projects. He said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a great gift of the Chinese leadership to the people of Pakistan which they will always remember. He said the CPEC reflects the unprecedented friendship between Pakistan and China and out of historic economic package of 46 billion dollars, a huge investment of Rs 36 billion is being made only in energy projects which will remove darkness from the country. He said the CPEC has strengthened friendly relations between China and Pakistan and the ties between the two countries have become unprecedented. He said only economically strong countries are given respect in the world while the weak nations are ignored.
He said due to investment of 46 billion dollars by China, Pakistan’s economy will be put on solid foundations and it will achieve a respectable place in the comity of nations. The chief minister announced that 300 boy and girl students from Punjab will be sent to China in February next year for learning Chinese language and the Punjab government will bear all expenses of the students for the two-year course. He said that process of sending students to China for learning Chinese will be continued in future as well.
He was addressing the inaugural session of a two-day international conference on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor at Govt College University Lahore on Wednesday.
Provincial Minister for Education Rana Mashhood, local and foreign delegates, professors, teachers, faculty members and a large numbers of boy and girl students were present on the occasion. The chief minister said that it is an honour for him to attend this important conference. He said that vice chancellor of the university and his team has taken an important step by holding international conference with regard to the CPEC. He said that setting up of Center Of Excellence China Studies at GCU is a welcome step and this department is playing a significant role in teaching Chinese language to Pakistani students.
He said such institutions will also be established in other educational institutions of Punjab so that maximum number of youth could learn Chinese language. He said that institutes for teaching Chinese language should also be set up in all provinces of Pakistan. He said the Punjab government is extending all-out cooperation for the establishment of such institutions. He said only the interest of the country has been held uppermost in CPEC which is a blessing of Allah and an invaluable gift of China.
Sharif said that work has been started speedily on this project and no effort will be spared for its early completion. He said, “We will have to cope with the existing challenges and move speedily towards the future.” He said that for the purpose of development of Pakistan and strengthening of economy, industrialisation process will have to be accelerated and energy is required for this purpose. He said that a huge sum of 36 billion dollars is being spent on power generation projects under the CPEC and thousands of megawatt electricity will be added to the national grid with the completion of these projects.
He said the CPEC is not merely a package of 46 billion dollars but reflects unprecedented friendship between Pakistan and China as well as the deep love of Chinese leadership with Pakistan.
He said the Chinese leadership has given this invaluable gift to Pakistan without any condition. He said that targets of development cannot be achieved without overcoming energy crisis. Therefore work has been started speedily on power projects in Punjab as well as the whole country, he added. He said that no hurdle will be allowed in the way of CPEC projects as they guarantee progress and development of Pakistan. The chief minister said that 6,000 to 7,000 megawatt electricity will be added to national grid by 2017-18 due to CPEC projects which will resolve energy crisis to a great extent.
Sharif said that baseless rumors are being spread regarding Gwadar Port which have no relevance to reality. He said that no other country expect China has announced such a big investment in Pakistan. He said the projects set up under the CPEC will change the destiny of the common man and put the country on the road to progress and prosperity.
Director Centre of Excellence China Studies Khalid Manzoor Butt in his welcome address narrated aims and objectives of the Center and threw light on the courses being conducted in it. He termed CPEC as game changer and said that the importance of Pakistan will enhance in the international community after completion of these projects. He said that unemployment and poverty will be eliminated from the country and trade and economic relations of Pakistan will expand with Middle East, Europe and Africa through this project.
GCU VC Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah thanked the chief minister on setting up Centre of Excellence China Studies and said that the centre will convert into a think tank in the real sense. Former Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr Akram Sheikh in his key address threw light on the features of the CPEC. He said the Punjab government has taken lead in vocational training for empowering youth and preparing skilled manpower. He paid rich tributes to Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and said that he is a practical man. He said the chief minister has also played an important role in enhancing Pak-China relations and the CPEC. At the end of the function, Sharif gave souvenir to Dr Akram Sheikh whereas vice chancellor of the university presented a souvenir to the chief minister.
