ISLAMABAD, Jul 27: The Pakistani government has resolved to ensure early completion of ongoing development projects being carried out by Chinese companies in the country.

A Chinese delegation led by President of Shanghai Electric Liu Ping called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday. Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan, Minister of State for Petroleum Dr. Mussadak Malik, Special Assistants Zafaruddin Mahmood, Dr. Jahanzeb Khan and senior government officials also attended, according to a press statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is playing an important role in development of Pakistan and emphasized that the government is eying increased cooperation and investment with Chinese companies in the times to come. He said the entire nation was grateful to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership for helping Pakistan in difficult times.

He said the Chinese cooperation and investment to a greater extent led to improved development in Pakistan’s infrastructure, public transport, and power crisis. He assured necessary steps to ensure the security of engineers and staffers of Chinese companies working in Pakistan.

For early completion of Thar Coal Project by Shanghai Electric, the prime minister tasked the responsibility of assistance to Special Representative Zafaruddin Mehmood and Additional Secretary Nadeem Chaudhry. He commended the assurance given by the Chinese companies to ensure the completion of projects in Pakistan at a fast pace.

The prime minister was informed that Thar Coal Power Project was stalled for the last few years, however, the present government is making rapid progress to complete it by the first quarter of 2023. Also, 7,000 local people have been provided employment due to the project.

The prime minister welcomed the interest of Shanghai Electric to make further investments in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Pakistan.

Credits: INP-WealthPk