Borrowing the hollow rhetoric of his predecessor government, Prime Minister Imran Khan painted China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as panacea of all ails Pakistan is currently suffering from. In his keynote speech at Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, the Prime Minster expressed the optimism that during the next phase of CPEC Pakistan will be able to tackle the issues of climate change and poverty reduction with the cooperation of China. He expressed the desire that Pakistan wants to promote cooperation with China in agriculture, health, education and removing the obstacle in the way of sustainable economic growth for realizing the long cherished goal of socioeconomic uplift of the people.
After assuming power PTI government has expressed the resolve to ensure transparency in agreements in the previous and future agreements to be made under the umbrella of CPEC. But the agreements that were made by the previous government still shroud in secrecy. Under some of these agreements 13 coal based thermal power plants of obsolete technology were to be established. Two such power plants have already been established. There was also a loud talk of resetting CPEC priorities but it is not yet clear as to whether remaining 11 projects of environment polluting and health hazardous coal fired thermal plants have been abandoned. How can the issue of climate change be effectively addressed while pursuing construction of environment polluting thermal power projects?
Poverty reduction is directly linked with employment generation but despite talking about CPEC related projects the government is still evasive about job opportunities that can be made available to Pakistani workforce. The business leaders have not been taken into confidence about the prospects of joint ventures with Chinese entrepreneurs in the nine special economic zones and likely impact on the domestic small and medium scale industry which is still applying second generation technology. The industrialists of “Golden Industrial Triangle”, comprising entrepreneurs of operational units of Gujrat, Gujranwala and Sialkot, had expressed the fear of likely closure of their industries when special economic zones become functional.
Special economic zones are critical for Pakistan’s second wave of industriaisation but CPEC is so far limited to only a few road and energy projects. The Prime Minister has desired for closer collaboration in agriculture but the unacceptable conditions listed by China for financing Diyamer Basha dam compelled WAPDA to withdraw the project from CPEC framework. Broad contours in the field of agriculture research have to be unfolded. Likewise in health the manufacturing of hospital equipments, vaccines development and production of raw material for medicines are of greater importance. Another area of mismanagement is lack of investment in human resource development to prepare skilled manpower which can get employment in the industries of special economic zones.
No information about the risk sharing of different industrial project which have included in CPEC and application of environmental laws to them is being divulged. An honest and informed debate at the expert level is needed to educate the people about the benefits that will accrue to them to avoid credibility gap. Keeping in view the Srilanka model of Chinese financing of development projects and cancellation of $ 20 billion project of coastal railway by Dr. Mahatir Mohammad government of Malaysia have made the people very anxious about the economic sovereignty of the country.
