- Says 8-10 SEZs will be set up for local, int’l investors to promote business, industrial activities; special incentive will be given to investors to attract them
Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project will benefit the population of three billion people, including the neighbouring countries as well as the Central Asian states.
He said this while speaking as a chief guest at the inaugural session of the two-day international conference on ‘CPEC Corridor of Prosperity Through Education and Business’ organised by Peace and Conflict Study Department of National University of Modern Languages (NUML), which started at NUML on Wednesday.
Charge de Affairs Chinese Embassy Zhao Lijan and Dr Mujeeb Afzal were the keynote speakers at the inaugural session, while NUML Rector Major General Zia Ud Din Najam (retd), Dean Social Sciences Dr Sufiana Khatoon Malik, NUML DG Brig Riaz Ahmed Gondal, deans, directors, heads of departments and a large number of students also attended the conference.
Sartaj Aziz said that NUML is playing a role of a bridge between Pakistan and the rest of the world, and providing excellent services of teaching various international languages, especially Chinese language. He further said that CPEC project will promote peace, harmony and prosperity among all the neighbouring states.
Aziz said that eight to ten special economic zones (SEZs) will be set up for local and international investors to promote business and industrial activities, and special incentive will also be given to the investors to attract them.
He said that road structure and to overcome energy shortage are the main components of this project which will help to develop human development.
Zhao Lijan said that China is offering scholarships to Pakistani students and exchanging think tanks to better understand each other. He said that there are four Confucius Institutes currently working in Pakistan, including NUML, which is the best in the world.
Earlier, Zia Ud Din Najam said that there are two views about the CPEC: one is that project will be like rivers of honey and milk for Pakistan, while the other says it is the project with huge interest rate; however, it is not as beneficial as pretended. Rector said that in this situation, it is the responsibility of academicians to develop a catharsis and guide the nation in right direction. He termed CPEC an “artery of peace.”
During the first day of the conference, eight papers were presented.
Ex-editor and journalist M Ziauddin presented a paper entitled ‘Benefits of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’.
Dr Riaz Shad Asst Prof IR Dept at NUML presented a paper entitled ‘CPEC’s Prospective Impact on Pakistan’s Textile Sector’.
Dr Mujeeb Afzal Asst Prof SPIR presented a paper entitled ‘CPEC-Educational Integration and its Impact on the Region’, while Russian Scholar Dr Sergey Kamenev presented a paper entitled ‘Economic Prosperity of Pakistan: Role of CPEC’.
Similarly, Malaysian Scholar Dato Husan presented a paper entitled ‘Prosperity of Private Sector under CPEC’, while University of Peshawar HoD Dept of IR Prof Dr Syed Hussain Shaheed Soharwardi presented a paper entitled ‘Educational and Research Links between the Universities of the two countries’.
Chinese Scholar Dr Ma Yinuer presented a paper entitled ‘An Analysis on the Influential Factors of Gravity Model Based Bilateral Trade Between Xinjiang, China and Pakistan’ and Iftikhar Ali Secretary LG & RD Gilgit-Baltistan presented a paper entitled ‘CPEC and Syllabus Development for Educational Prosperity’.
