National News

MURREE, (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and
President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdmuhamedov on Thursday were
given a briefing on the projects of regional connectivity including
the proposed road connecting Pakistan with Central Asia.
Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal and Chairman
National Highway Authority Shahid Ashraf Tarar briefed the two
leaders about the projects under the Central Asia Regional Economic
Cooperation (CAREC) Programme here at the Government House.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif termed infrastructural development
the economic lifeline of Pakistan.
He expressed confidence that the completion of regional
connectivity projects along with the projects relating China
Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would turn around the economic
outlook of Pakistan and would prove to be a game changer for the
entire region.
Turkmen President Berdmuhamedov appreciated the vision of Prime
Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif about infrastructural development.
He expressed interest in the proposed routes that fall along
the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.
The Turkmen President also showed interest in investing in
Gwadar in different areas, including storage facilities.
“We want to use Gwadar as our home port,” he said.
Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid
Khaqan Abbasi and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq
Fatemi were also present.
Pakistan, China and Central Asian states are part of the CAREC
Programme. The Programme is a partnership of 10 countries and six
multilateral development partners to promote regional development
through cooperation to achieve accelerated economic growth and
poverty reduction.
The first propose route include road from Gwadar to Termez via
Quetta, Kandhar, Herat and Mazar Sharif. Another road is proposed to
be constructed from Karachi to Tashkent via Torkhum, Kabul, Kunduz
and Dushanbe.
The third proposed route is Gwadar to Ashgabat, a road to be
built via Quetta, Kandhar and Herat.
Also, a route is proposed to connect Gwadar with Tejen via
Zahidan and Mashhad (Iran).