LAHORE: Parliamentary Committee on CPEC Chairman Senator Syed Mushahid Hussain said on Saturday that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was a guarantee to bright future, economic security and prosperity of Pakistan.
He was speaking at a seminar on ‘CPEC: Prospects of Pakistan’s Prosperity and Economic Stability’, organised by Nazaria-i-Pakistan Trust (NPT) here at the NPT office. A written message on behalf of NPT chairman was also read out on the occasion.
Mushahid said that anti-Pakistan forces were bent upon sabotaging the project and Pakistanis would have to pursue it like the attaining of nuclear technology. CPEC would be a game-changer for Pakistan, South Asia and Middle East, he added.
He said that the military leadership would defeat anti-CPEC intrigues of the elements active against the project. He said that CPEC was the costliest-ever project between two countries in the world history as this project was worth $50 billion and to be completed by 2030. “It is a national strategic project and cannot be attributed to an individual, a political party or a province,” he added.
He recalled that the Quaid-i-Azam had once predicted to a foreign journalist that Pakistan would be a centre-stage of world politics in future. His vision had been materialised in the form of CPEC, he added.
Senator Mushahid said Pakistan had brought China closer to the US in 1970. He appreciated the unstinting support of China to Pakistan and told the audience that China received not a single penny against the military weapon it provided to Pakistan from 1965 to 1980. Pakistan had reciprocated the friendship gesture equally on all fronts. He said that the Chinese leadership had brought 700 million Chinese out of poverty in the last 25 years, and the 21st century belongs to Asia. Mushahid said that CPEC would play a pivotal role in development of infrastructure, energy projects, Gawadar Port and Special Economic Zones in Pakistan, asserting that the country had started mining in the area of Thar after the start of CPEC projects.
“Today some 22,000 Pakistani students are studying in Chinese universities. China is providing scholarships to 5,000 students,” he added.
NPT Vice Chairman Dr Rafique Ahmed Tarar presented him a memento at the end of the seminar, while NPT Secretary General Shahid Rasheed delivered the vote of thanks.
