ISLAMABAD: China and Pakistan on Thursday discussed advancement of key infrastructure and economic projects under the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Pakistani government said, with the two sides also discussing security of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.
CPEC, a part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, aims to connect China to the Arabian Sea through a network of roads, railways, pipelines and ports in Pakistan and help Islamabad expand and modernize its economy.
The discussions on key CPEC projects were held during Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong’s meeting with Pakistani Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, according to Pakistan’s Press Information Department (PID).
On the occasion, the Pakistani planning minister emphasized the need for concrete mechanisms to ensure smooth and effective implementation of bilateral projects.
“Both sides deliberated on advancing key projects, including the Karachi-Hyderabad section of Main Line-1 (ML-1) and Karakoram Highway (Thakot-Raikot Section) project, and agreed to accelerate the projects’ timely execution,” the PID said in a statement.
“Regarding the Gwadar Port and Free Zone, both sides expressed a mutual commitment to ensuring the continued development of Gwadar in a holistic manner.”
The meeting came two days after a security guard at a factory in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi shot and injured two Chinese nationals before fleeing, police said.
Last month, two Chinese nationals were killed in a suicide bombing near the international airport in Karachi. In March this year, a suicide bombing killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver in northwestern Pakistan as they headed to the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in the country. In 2022, three Chinese educators and their Pakistani driver were killed when an explosion ripped through a van at the University of Karachi. A blast on a bus killed 13 people in north Pakistan in 2021, including nine Chinese nationals.
China, breaking with tradition, publicly spoken out against security threats to its workers and nationals living in Pakistan, where hundreds of them work on Beijing-funded projects linked to CPEC.
Iqbal assured the Chinese ambassador the safety of Chinese citizens was a top priority of his government.
“Pakistan will continue working closely with China to ensure the security of Chinese citizens, projects, and institutions,” he was quoted as saying by the PID.
Ambassador Jiang expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s comprehensive engagement and said the Chinese side was ready for collaboration in areas of agriculture, mines and minerals, industrial cooperation, according to the PID.
Iqbal shared that his ministry was in coordination with the National Development and Reform Commission of China to arrange high-level workshops to bring together experts from both sides to outline the future direction of CPEC’s second phase.
China has lately shown willingness for the second phase of CPEC and has given assurances for the establishment of five new corridors, including that of growth, livelihood, innovation, green economy and open regional inclusive development.
China, Pakistan discuss advancement of rail, road and economic zone projects under CPEC
https://arab.news/56b7b
China, Pakistan discuss advancement of rail, road and economic zone projects under CPEC
- The discussions included sections of Main Line-1 railway project, Karakoram Highway as well as Gwadar port and economic zone
- Beijing has invested over $65 billion in energy, infrastructure and other projects as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
Six international flights bound for Pakistan’s Karachi diverted due to dense fog
- Flights from Pegasus, Etihad, GulfAir, Flyadeal, PIA and Fly Jinnah diverted to Muscat and Islamabad
- Karachi ranked as fourth-most polluted city worldwide by Swiss air monitoring agency IQAir today
ISLAMABAD: Six international flights bound for Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi were diverted to Muscat and Islamabad on Sunday as dense fog surrounded the metropolis, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said in a statement.
Karachi was ranked as the fourth-most polluted city in the world by Swiss monitoring agency IQAir on Sunday morning. Karachi reported an air quality index of 215, deemed as “very unhealthy” by IQAir.
“Due to fog, six international flights bound for Karachi have been diverted to other airports,” the PAA said.
“The diversion of flights in conditions of limited visibility is a standard safety measure.”
The PAA said Karachi-bound flights of Pegasus, Etihad, Flyadeal, and Gulf Air airlines have been diverted to Muscat.
Meanwhile, local airline Fly Jinnah’s flight from Jeddah has been diverted to Islamabad instead of Karachi, the PAA said. It also added that the Pakistan International Airlines’ flight from Madinah has been diverted to Muscat instead of Karachi.
Earlier, Pakistani authorities closed key routes on the motorway on Saturday night as thick fog enveloped parts of the eastern Punjab province.
Punjab cities face worsening smog each winter, driven by crop burning, vehicle emissions and industrial pollution that threatens public health and daily life. The smog season typically begins in late October, peaks between November and January and can persist through February.
As per a statement released by the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP), the M-2 motorway was closed from Thokar Niaz Baig to Kot Momin, the M-3 motorway section was closed from Faizpur to Darkhana and the M-4 area from Pindi Bhattiyan to Abdul Hakeem was also closed. The M-11 route was also closed from the provincial capital Lahore to Sambrial.
However, the motorway routes were opened for traffic as visibility improved around 10:00 am on Sunday morning.
