Transport corridors imperative to connect nations, promote trade: Ahsan
ISLAMABAD, (MILLAT ONLINE):Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms, Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday said future of Asian
countries depends on promotion of trade and commerce and connectivity through transport corridors.
Transport corridors help connect the countries and play
pivotal role in economic integration, trade development and regional
connectivity across the globe.
At a launching ceremony of a report – Wider Economic Benefits
of Transport Corridors in South Asia – he said by adopting regional
cooperation and connectivity approach, billion of people
could harness benefits by investing in health, education and
infrastructure development.
The report was jointly launched by World Bank Group, Asian
Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and
UKAID, aimed at presenting past and recent case studies of corridor
initiatives and make an assessment of corridor investment supported
by international development organizations.
Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan is located among three engines of
growth where as Central Asia was comprising over 3 billion population
and the country has opportunity to link with them.
The regional cooperation are opening new opportunities
for growth and progress, he said.
The Minister said South Asia was the least integrated
region in world, adding that due to least integration, the
regional countries including India, Bangladesh and Pakistan were
ranked among list of least developed countries in terms of social
indicators.
He stressed the need for developing more markets to create
demand for growth and said it was only possible through
enhanced cooperation and connectivity among regions as well as
with other markets of world.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a step
for regional cooperation and connectivity, he said and added it was
creating a new supply chain market and shared prosperity across all
parts of the country by enhancing market access of all stakeholders.
The Minister said other aim of these corridors was to
reduce distance among different economies, besides increasing
connectivity and opening better return opportunities for socio-economic development.
Ahsan Iqbal reaffirmed that CPEC was not only an economic
integration project of region but would open ways for market
access to Central Asian States and through Central Asia to other
parts of world.
Later, talking to media, he said CPEC was a purely a
economic development project that would bring prosperity. He called
upon the India to get benefit from the project rather pursuing
un-necessary criticism.
Besides CPEC project, Pakistan was also making progress on
other corridors in order to enhance its connectivity through
Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC), he added.