Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal emphasized the significance of recognizing the exceptional contributions of employees working on CPEC projects.

He was speaking at the award giving ceremony to the staff working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor at the Chinese Embassy for their outstanding performance and contributions to the success of the initiative.

He noted that the event reflected the hard work, commitment, and collaborative spirit that have defined the bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and China.

Highlighting the achievements of CPEC, he shared that the first phase has successfully concluded with the completion of 43 projects worth approximately  twenty five  billion dollars.

These projects have added 8,800 MW of electricity to Pakistan’s national grid.

In the transport sector, eight projects costing 6.7 billion dollars have been completed, resulting in the construction of 888 km of motorways and highways, with an additional 853 km currently under construction.

The Minister further shared that CPEC has generated around 200,000 direct jobs, with the potential for manifold indirect employment.

He announced that the second phase of CPEC will focus on business-to-business cooperation in areas such as manufacturing, agriculture, mines and minerals, Gwadar Port, and the free zone.

He also expressed gratitude to the Chinese government, the Chinese Embassy, and other partners for their unwavering support in realizing the vision of CPEC.