By Karim Madad

ISLAMABAD, July 21 (INP-WealthPK): Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) has put its weight behind extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan to promote economic development and prosperity in the war-ravaged country.

This was agreed during a meeting of the joint chamber members at the PCJCCI Secretariat.

According to a media release of the PCJCCI, Wang Zihai, President of PCJCCI, said the implementation of this proposal will prove a “game-changer” as well as a “fate-changer” for the nearly 30 million population of Afghanistan.

“It will increase mutual trust, cooperation and regional connectivity among the three nations -- Pakistan, China and Afghanistan,” he stated. 

Wang Zihai said this initiative will help in de-freezing Afghanistan's foreign reserves and facilitation of banking operations to ease the economic hardships of the Afghan people, and will also help in building a sustainable economy.

Ehsan Choudhry, Senior Vice President of PCJCCI, said that linking Pakistan's southern Gwadar Port in Balochistan province on the Arabian Sea to China's western Xinjiang region will open new vistas of trade and development for the business community.

He added that Gwadar is the jewel in Pakistan’s economy. “If it is combined with the surrounding areas through communications infrastructure, it could become a new Asian trade nucleus. Gwadar possesses immense strategic lure and could emerge as a key shipping point for both countries,” he underlined.

Sarfaraz Butt, Vice President of PCJCCI, said that “Belt and Road” is like a symphony involving and benefitting every country that comes in its route.

“The expansion of CPEC in Afghanistan will bring a major breakthrough in socio-economic ties among the three nations,” he stated.

He added that the government of Pakistan and China should include educational projects in the framework of CPEC in Afghanistan, including girls’ education and effective counter-terrorism measures.

In his remarks, Salahuddin Hanif, Secretary General of PCJCCI, said that there is a dire need to expedite humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and its people to avert the looming crisis. He called upon the international community to provide continued and enhanced assistance and support to Afghanistan, including through unfreezing of Afghanistan’s financial assets.

He said that CPEC will work as a catalyst to stabilize and flourish the economy of Afghanistan.

Credits: INP-WealthPk