| Islamabad: Federal Minister for Planning, and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday (February 9) said that the government will now focus on the early completion of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and Main-Line 1 (ML-1) projects, news sources reported.
Read: Mobile phone manufacturing industry to flourish under CPEC: FM Murtaza
Minister Ahsan spoke in a meeting with the Chinese envoy to Pakistan and members of the business community about the significance of two projects for the development of the country, particularly in providing a strong infrastructure to Karachi. The attendees from both China and Pakistan agreed to actively pursue their respective roles and furnish all necessary measures to prevent any further delays.
Read: China, Pakistan to start work on KCR and ML-1 projects
The meeting also addressed the ongoing development work in various areas, including the Allama Iqbal Industrial City, Rashakai Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Bostan SEZ, Dhabeji SEZ, Gwadar Port Authority, and Gwadar Free Zone. The representatives of the Balochistan government briefed the participants about various projects, such as water supply schemes, a precision training complex, the electricity supply situation, Gwadar University, maintenance dredging, and the installation of 3,000 solar systems in Gwadar. The minister emphasized that the prompt completion of development work in Gwadar is crucial as it will lead to job creation in the region.
Read: Test flight from new Gwadar Int’l Airport begins in March
It’s worth noting that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently offered to develop the USD 10 billion ML-1 project. However, despite delays and cost escalation, Pakistan has chosen to continue its partnership with China for this project as a development partner. The ML-1 project, once completed, is expected to improve the movement of freight from Gwadar and Karachi to Peshawar under the China-Pakistan-Economic-Corridor (CPEC) project. |
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