The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a project of vital importance and is probably the last hope for the nation to achieve the cherished goal of prosperity, but concerns are raised by some quarters on the slow pace of development work and on rumours that energy projects worth $7 billion will be cancelled. However, Ahsan Iqbal, the minister for planning and development, is unfazed on such impressions and is quite optimistic and satisfied that both Pakistan and China are executing the projects with a sense of mission and responsibility. News reports suggest that sponsors are considering axing five energy projects which are unlikely to meet the deadline of December 2018. If the projects are terminated, Sindh will be deprived of half of its share in the CPEC and Balochistan’s share will also fall to $7 billion. Experts believe that the projects, which include establishment of four power plants to generate 4,620 megawatt electricity and development of a coal mine in Thar, are at various stages of implementation and their termination is out of question.
The government should have to beware of the internal and external threats to the economic corridor as India and Untied States are staunchly opposing any development work in Pakistan, including the Chinese investment in the country. The United States is allegedly impressing upon the Pakistani government to leave the project and India has tried to politicize the project by showering money on the nationalist political parties which are allegedly on its payroll. The United States is big hurdle in the Pak-Iran gas pipeline project and openly opposed its implementation. The country is facing severe electricity shortage and in one of its report, the Asian Development Bank has also highlighted this issue. The Pakistani economy is growing at a fast rate but electricity shortage has come as main hurdle in its expansion. Iqbal hopes that two of the energy projects will be completed within the specified time – one until December 2018 and the other in 2019. However, the government has warned the sponsors of the power plant to start work on the projects or face the consequences.
It is hoped that the government will not take any unilateral decision on any of the projects related to the economic corridor and it will take the Chinese government into confidence on everything. China is trusted friend of Pakistan but every country has its own national interests and every country has its own diplomatic limitations. The corridor project is the economy of Pakistan and is equally important for China which is investing $46 billion in the country without guarantees.
