Islamabad: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal chaired the CPEC Phase 2 review meeting with the 13th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives. Additional secretaries of ministries, senior officials of various ministries and representatives of federal and provincial ministries were present. Officials were briefed on preparations for an online JCC meeting scheduled for this week. Discussions covered projects related to communication, infrastructure, energy, economic development, agriculture and security of Chinese workers in Pakistan.
Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal highlighted security concerns for Chinese personnel and said that ensuring the protection and safety of Chinese personnel, projects and programs is a priority for the Government of Pakistan. He said that a comprehensive security strategy has been formulated and Pakistan will take effective measures to protect Chinese citizens.
Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that it is a priority to start bidding for the ML-1 project without any delay and fix the right date for the timely start. As for the Mineral Corridor, he said in this JCC meeting, efforts should be intensified to complete the agreement. He also ordered a small working group meeting with Chinese officials to speed up discussions on the mineral corridor project.
