Islamabad: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said that work on two mega projects Karakoram Highway Phase-2 and Pakistan Railways Main Line One will begin in 2025.
According to a report by the official news agency APP, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, while addressing the Chinese Spring Festival celebrations at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), said that the CPEC Phase-1 projects completed in different parts of the country are a symbol of the everlasting friendship between Pakistan and China, which is getting stronger with each passing day.
Ahsan Iqbal expressed confidence that as CPEC enters its second phase, cooperation and harmony between the two countries will further increase, which will benefit not only Pakistan but also the entire region.
He said that in the second phase of CPEC, special attention will be paid to the use of modern technology in the agricultural sector, the establishment of special economic zones and cooperation in the information technology sector, which will enable Pakistan to increase its exports.
The Planning Minister said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s vision is to benefit from the expertise of IT experts from the world, especially China, and to equip Pakistani youth with modern IT skills so that they can meet contemporary requirements.
Commenting on cooperation in the minerals sector, he said that investment and cooperation on a business basis will be promoted through the private sector.
He further said that work on two mega projects, Karakoram Highway Phase 2 and the main line of Pakistan Railways, will be started in 2025, which will further expand cooperation between the two brotherly countries.
Ahsan Iqbal expressed his determination that all possible facilities and foolproof security will be provided to Chinese citizens living in Pakistan.
He said that the elements trying to damage the friendship between Pakistan and China will fail in their nefarious plots because the relations between the two countries are based on mutual trust and complete trust.
Ahsan Iqbal likened the seven-decade friendship between Pakistan and China to a beautiful bouquet, which spreads colors and will grow stronger in the future.
