PM regrets ‘self-created’ hurdles to CPEC

Pakistan’s “self-created hurdles” stalled work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif agreed on Thursday, as he inaugurated the country’s seventh nuclear power plant and stressed the need for more cheap energy sources in the face of a costly fuel import bill. However, speaking at the launching ceremony, attended by Chinese authorities, the premier vowed that there would be no roadblocks to the multibillion-dollar infrastructure project from now on. Without naming the previous government, PM Shehbaz said the launching, execution and completion of several CPEC-related projects ranging from rebuilding the railway network to setting up special industrial zones were earlier delayed. “In the recent past, we ourselves created hurdles that led to a deadlock in the CPEC project,” he told participants. “But now, I firmly hope and believe that these CPEC projects will be completed at pace.”