ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Minister for Planning and Development Muhammad Sami Saeed on Tuesday promised to maintain the pace of ongoing development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

       “The minister expressed a fervent commitment to sustain the momentum of ongoing CPEC projects,” said an official statement after a briefing session apparently to assure the Chinese government and investors that a political transition would not affect the progress on a multi-billion dollar bilateral initiative.

       The statement said the minister led a comprehensive meeting to review the progress on development projects under the CPEC portfolio. The meeting was attended by senior officials from the CPEC secretariat and related wings of the Ministry of Planning including Secretary Planning Zafar Ali Shah.

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       The minister said the caretaker government will maintain the pace of pivotal development projects. Underlining the transformative potential of CPEC, the minister reaffirmed that the caretaker Government was “mandated to sustain the acceleration of all development initiatives, with CPEC being accorded the utmost precedence”.

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       He directed all the departments concerned and ministries to work with close coordination and cooperation to maintain the current pace of development so that the development process should continue without any hindrance during the transition period. He opined that CPEC will significantly enhance the development in the region and Pakistan, the statement said.

       He also called for an effective oversight mechanism that should be embedded within the implementation process in CPEC projects to harness its full potential and optimal utilisation of resources, it added.

       Published in Dawn, August 23th, 2023