Pakistan has flagged prolonged delays in five of its crucial power and rail projects with China during an important meeting discussing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, media reports said.
A meeting of CPEC’s 11th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) took place on Thursday, where Pakistan urged China to put USD 18.5 billion worth of five projects on the fast track. The Express Tribune reported that Pakistan Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal expressed fears that any further delay would collapse the rail system in the country in one year and delay 3,100 megawatts of electricity generation, The Express Tribune reported.
However, there was no announcement made following the meeting that discussed the “missed opportunities” and “prolonged delays” in the execution of schemes that were agreed on eight years ago.
The five projects that Islamabad has requested China to fast track work on include—USD 10 billion Mainline-I railway project; USD 1.2 billion Karachi Circular Railway Project; USD 1.6 billion Azad Pattan hydropower project; USD 2.5 billion Kohala power project; and USD 3 billion Thar Block-I coal project on priority, reported The Express Tribune, quoting officials who attended the meeting as saying. “These projects are facing years of delay due to obstacles from both sides,” the official said. Pakistan asked China to consider Islamabad’s request for the relocation of the USD 584 million Gwadar power plant. The planning minister also mooted Pakistan’s failure to reap the benefits of the Chinese experience to develop its Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
