CPEC to play pivotal role in transforming economy: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal Tuesday said at a time when Pakistan's economy was gearing up for rapid economic growth and broad based development, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was expected to play a pivotal role in transforming the economy through better connectivity, improved energy supplies and industrial and agricultural development.

"Our development strategy is people centric and we believe development has to be of the people, for the people and by the people. Therefore, our vision of development is based on inclusiveness and social justice," he said in a message on the eve of 32nd Annual General Meeting and Conference on CPEC and Regional Integration organized by the Pakistan Society of Development Economics (PSDE), here.

He said CPEC was part of our broader development agenda that focussed on inclusive and sustainable growth; human and social capital; value addition and competitiveness; and modernization of infrastructure; and regional and global connectivity.

The minister said due to its multi-faceted activities, CPEC promised to bring substantial dividends for Pakistan's economy by boosting long term growth potential, creating job opportunities and improving trade linkages.

Provision of a roadmap that sets the long-term high growth trajectory was imperative for not only to mobilize all the potential towards prioritized areas but also to address the weakness of the economy, he added.

Ahsan Iqbal said the task of providing the nation with a clear roadmap for economic development had been undertaken by the Vision 2025.

The Pakistan Vision-2025 was a blue print of sustainable development agenda of Pakistan which aimed at creating a balanced platform for development through building strong knowledge and social foundations without which the dream of becoming a developed country shall remain elusive.

This development plan had been envisaged after a thorough consultative process with all stakeholders and emerged after the national consensus.

While acknowledging role of Pakistan Society of Development Economics (PSDE), he said it had undoubted played an instrumental role in promoting the culture of scholarly and inspiring debates.

"It is beyond a shadow of a doubt that such intellectual gatherings play an anchor role against the odds and challenges that confront us today," he added.

The minister said he had a staunch belief that such scholarly congregations could certainly help a great deal in finding out ways and means to improve our long term growth prospects.

He appreciated the PSDE for continuing its tradition of organizing AGMs on regular basis to provide policy guidelines.

He expressed the confidence that this years conference would generate critical knowledge to make CPEC a big success for Pakistan.