Tazeen Akhtar
CPEC second phase ! The work on this crucial phase still could not be started while almost one year passed since the sides had celebrated the 10 years of this so called game changer project. On 27 July the parties held a meeting in Islamabad (in the picture) and now from today 30 July , Pakistani Minister of Planning is on 5 days visit to China !
Friendship is friendship and business is business ! This is the time to realize this fact and improve the speed (Shahbaz Speed + Mohsin Speed) of the work and security situation at least along the main route to save the friendship that is higher than Himalayas, Sweater than Honey, Stronger than Iron and that is time tested.
Gwadar is the culmination of CPEC that still needs development and more important connectivity with the rest of the country and further more important security on the roads , if the roads are built and working.
Second main thing in second phase is establishment of Special Economic Zones ! Here too the situation is not satisfactory ! During last 10 years no SEZ has been prepared ! Rashkai only – but it is not in working position ! no infrastructure and untility services ! no relocation of any industry from any party.
Ahsan Iqbal himself has been expressing concerns on slow pace of work on CPEC projects in the previous months in different meetings !
China is said to halt the investment for second phase after the expected results could not be fetched and terrorists hit hard the two provinces with main route of CPEC !
(The body language in the picture of this meeting couple of days before Ahsan left for Beijing can be seen )
Today , when Pakistanis can not travel in KP and Balochistan safe and sound, how any foreigner including Chinese can go himself or send his staff there ?
Ob 14 January 2025, Ahsan Iqbal, chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the operationalization of Gwadar Port.
The discussions focused on devising short- and medium-term strategies to operationalize Gwadar Port effectively within six months. But the target has not been achieved so far.
In March 2025,Ahsan Iqbal, chaired a high-level meeting to finalize the Gwadar Port Operationalization Plan and address key challenges hindering its full functionality.
The meeting was co-chaired by Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan and Minister for Maritime Affairs Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, while Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal participated online. The session was attended by the Secretaries from relevant ministries, CEO of the Public-Private Partnership Authority (P3A) and other key stakeholders.
The primary agenda of the meeting was to review critical issues impeding the operationalization of Gwadar Port, finalize an actionable strategy for its activation, and ensure effective implementation of the plan once approved by the Cabinet, that is still awaited.
The then Minister Maritime, Qaisar Ahmad Sheikh admitted some six months ago that security situation around Gwadar is not satisfactory.
These are the most disturbing facts in the friendship and neither table meetings nor multimedia presentations can hide them from the eyes that can see and the ears that can hear !
Lets see How Ahsan deals with this state of affairs in front of the investors. No doubt , it is a test case of his capabilities as the only think tank in the ruling PMLN.
