National News

LAHORE, (MILLAT+APP): Federal Minister for Planning,
Development and Reforms Prof. Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said
that political stability was need of the hour to gain
benefits and complete the China Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC) projects.
Delivering a lecture on “CPEC,its Opportunities, Issues
and Priorities” managed jointly by Study Group of the Punjab
University and Mir Khalilur Rehman Memorial Society at PU city
campus, he appreciated the efforts of the PU for initiating the
work of supply of knowledge skill.
He said eduction was one of the priorities of the present
government as the PML-N government after coming into power had
raised the grant of the Higher Education Commission from Rs 100
billion to 220 billion. The 21st century was the century of
economic development, he added.
The minister said that CEPC was not only a game changer but
also a fate changer that consisted of four points vision including
Gawader development into a model smart port city, energy sector, infrastructure development and establishment of industrial zones.
He said that $35 billion were being consumed on energy projects
including producing electricity from coals. He informed that under
the CPEC projects railway track and roads were being upgraded which
would decrease the travelling distance between Karachi and Peshawar.
Describing the details of the fourth point of the CPEC project
vision, he said that industrial zones would be set up in the country
which would benefit the people.
He, acknowledging the role of Chinese said that China has
always played a role of friend in need is friend indeed. He said
that through CPEC projects peoples from far flung areas of the country would be empowered economically that would end the monopoly of the
usurpers.
He dispelled the impression of any discrimination among provinces
and said that all the provinces would equally get benefit from that
$ 51 billion CPEC projects which would increase two to three percent
of the Gross Domestic Product(GDP) of the country in future.
He reiterated Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s vision of
peaceful environment with all neighbours to make the whole region
economically developed and stable.
The minister urged the students to work hard and better to
meet the challenges of the emerging economic era in the world.
PU VC Mujahid Kamran, Lord Nazir, prominent journalists
including Muno Bhai,Sohail Warriach and CPEC expert Dr.Hafiz
Zafar Ahmed were also among those who spoke on the occasion.