QUETTA: Terming China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC) vital for the economy of Pakistan, Balochistan Assembly Speaker Raheela Hameed Durrani said on Tuesday that there was a need to understand the sensitivity and various aspects of this multi-billion-dollar project.

She was speaking at a seminar on the benefits Balochistan will get under the CPEC umbrella. The seminar was held at the Centre for Excellence of the Balochistan University of Information Technology and Management Sciences (BUITMS).

She said the economic corridor project would prove to be a game-changer not only for Pakistan, but also for the whole region. Explaining importance of the project, she said a number of countries were taking great interest in the CPEC project.

Raheela Durrani calls for removing concerns of all stakeholders

Ms Durrani stressed the need for removing misunderstandings about CEPC, saying that whenever she talked about this project people asked a number of questions about conditions in the agreement signed by Pakistan and China for it. Reservations of all stakeholders, including all provinces of the country, on the project should be removed, she added.

She also called for addressing concerns of Balochistan people, particularly the local people of Gwadar, about CPEC and development activities in the port city. She said the government should protect rights of local people while planning development projects in Gwadar and other parts of Balochistan.

She said all Pakistanis should play their role for making the corridor project a success because they all would be beneficiary of its economic dividends.

The speaker stressed the need for imparting modern technical education to local people of Gwadar and other Balochistan towns so that they could be able to avail maximum benefits of CPEC related projects.

She said Pakistan would attract investment from all over the world after completion of the economic corridor project.

Ms Durrani appreciated the organisers of the seminar, saying that the programme had provided a great opportunity to understand the economic benefits of the corridor project for Pakistan, particularly for the people of Balochistan.

She said such progra­mmes could play an important role in removing misunderstandings about the project.

Leader of the Opposition in Balochistan Assembly Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, BUITMS Vice Chancellor Ahmed Farooq Bazai, Centre for Excellence Director Dr Shahid Rasheed, Planning and Development Secretary Asfandyar Kakar, Gwadar Port Authority Chairman Munir Jan and other officials attended the seminar.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2018