Slow pace of work on CPEC cause for concern: PML-N leader

Senior PML-N leader and president of Pakistan ex-servicemen society retired Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum has noted that the slow pace of work on the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a cause for concern, but said that ties with United States have been repaired without compromising their commitments to China. “It is true, the pace of CPEC Phase-II is slower than it should be, and that is a cause for concern. CPEC is not just a bilateral project between Pakistan and China; it is the flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative and a symbol of our ironclad strategic partnership with Beijing,” he said in an interview with Huashang Weekly. He said Phase-II was particularly crucial because it focuses on industrial cooperation, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), agricultural modernisation, information technology, and energy diversification.