City
Epaper

Imran orders authorities to expedite CPEC work

By IANS | Updated: August 20, 2019 10:10 IST

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed authorities to expedite work on half a dozen projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that have been facing significant delays.

Open in App

On Monday, Khan took a detailed briefing on the delayed energy and infrastructure projects of the multi-billion dollar CPEC, reports The Express Tribune.

The strategic initiative came to almost a grinding halt during past one year due to reservations expressed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) cabinet and enhanced fiscal controls under the $6 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

The change in the government's priorities has also put the jobs of around 50 employees at stake who are currently working under CPEC Support Secretariat Project and CPEC Centre of Excellence.

The IMF has placed a ceiling on the amount of the stock of the government guarantees that cannot exceed 1.6 trillion Pakistani rupees by the end of this fiscal year and there is also continuous ban on accumulation of external public payment arrears by the government.

These restrictions have affected the the government's ability to contract a big project like mainline-I project of the CPEC, said sources in the Finance Ministry.

The sources said that the Prime Minister expressed resolve to address all the pending issues that have delayed implementation of the CPEC and asked the bureaucracy to address the bottlenecks at the earliest.

The $60 billion CPEC is a key project of Beijing's Belt and Road initiative that aims to connect Asia, Africa and Europe through a vast network of highways, rail lines and sea lanes.

The multi-billion dollar corridor connects the Chinese city of Kashgar with Pakistan's Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea.

India sternly opposes the CPEC, a key artery of the Belt and Road project that cuts through Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, New Delhi's raison d'etre for staying away from the trillion-dollar connectivity scheme.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: pakistanimfasiakashmir
Open in App

Related Stories

NationalChandigarh BJP Office Blast: Two Suspects Arrested for Grenade Blast; Drone Used to Smuggle Chinese Hand Grenade From Pakistan

InternationalUS State Department Announces Permanent Closure of Peshawar Consulate in Pakistan

InternationalSaudi Arabia Destroys 21 Drones, 3 Ballistic Missiles in First Week of Middle East War

InternationalMiddle East Crisis: Saudi Arabia-Pakistan to Take Joint Military Action Against Iran Attacks in KSA?

CricketPakistan Player Misbehaved With Hotel Staff During T20 World Cup 2026

International Realted Stories

InternationalPakistan: Fuel price surge pushes Lahore students to the brink

InternationalFrench CMA CGM vessel crosses Strait of Hormuz in 1st W European transrit amid Iran conflict

InternationalUAE: Debris from aerial interception hits building in Dubai Internet City

International"Majority of Iranian ballistic missiles combat-ineffective": US-based think tank report

InternationalIran releases photos purportedly showing wreckage of US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Kuwait