Pakistan, China Committed To Make CPEC Reality: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD,(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Augst,2016) : Terming China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a reality, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform, Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday that both Pakistan and China were committed to materialize this dream at any cost which was beneficial for both the countries, region and the world. "The ghastly incidents like Quetta blast cannot reverse or delay this important initiative taken by Pak-China leadership and people and all the enemies would be defeated, he made these remarks while talking to mediapersons after delivering a key-note address at the Pakistan-Afghanistan CARs Trade Summit (PACTS) here. He said, the development work was under progress at a fast pace on the projects being carried out under CPEC and there would be no role back or delay in its implementation. The Minister pointed out that the rapid pace of work on the projects under CPEC had been acknowledged by the Chinese experts as the pace of development was faster than the projects in China. Responding to a question about the involvement of India's RAW in Quetta blast, he said, "The investigation into the incident is under progress and those involved in this heinous crime will be brought to justice." He said, there was a need to be more vigilant and alert after this incident, adding, "We have to create unity among our ranks to frustrate such conspiracies.

" He said, "We should not be discouraged after Quetta incident as our enemies may make more such attempts but these incidents strengthen our resolve to get rid of menace of terrorism." Ahsan Iqbal said, "We are in the state of war and we have to foster internal unity to completely defeat terrorism." Pakistan, he said, would emerge as the fastest growing economy after defeating the terrorists. The Minister said, CPEC had drawn attention of the world community towards Pakistan, adding, this project would not only connect Pakistan and China but also would provide connectivity between China and Central Asia and beyond this region. He said, Asia would be hub of future economic growth as China, Central Asia and South Asia were considered engines of economic growth. About the importance of Gwadar Port, he said, it was important for landlocked countries of Central Asia which were interest to set up cold storages and processing zones for their products in this city. He said, "Our future generations would reap the fruit of better economic growth and foreign direct investment in the country." "Pakistan is rising and no one will be allowed to create hindrance in the way of development and progress," he added.