Planning ministry finalises its ‘wish list’

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives (MPD&SI) is said to have finalised its wish list to be discussed with the Chinese experts’ delegation reaching next week, well-informed sources told Business Recorder.

The delegation will be declared as State guest with the approval of the prime minister. The delegation is also expected to meet the chief minister KPK on August 3, 2024.

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal has directed the Ministry of Interior to make necessary security arrangement for experts during their entire programme in Pakistan. The Ministry of Interior shall also coordinate with provincial governments for security arrangements during schedule visits of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

According to sources, the Ministry of Interior is coordination with the Ministry of Defence to make arrangements of chartered flights for Chinese delegation to travel from Karachi to Gwadar on August 5 and return on August 6, 2024.

The Commerce Ministry is to arrange meeting of delegation with Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Associations in the export-oriented sectors including mining, agriculture, textiles, pharmaceutical etc in the first half on August 2, 2024.

The sources said the Commerce Ministry will also arrange meeting of delegation with about 10 leading Pakistani enterprises (for instance agriculture, manufacturing, services and others) in the afternoon on August 2, 2024. The planning minister has directed the Board of Investment (BoI) to ensure necessary arrangements for the visit of delegation to Pashakai SEZ on August 3, 2024.

He also directed the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, in coordination with government of Balochistan to make all necessary arrangements of visit of Gwadar.

He further emphasised that the secretary MoMA should join meetings in Gwadar in person.

The meeting was apprised that following meeting with sectoral groups of relevant ministries will be held on July 31, 2024 and August 4, 2024; (i) Ministry of Commerce (Convener), Industries and Production and BoI; (ii) Ministry of Energy – Power Division(Convener), Petroleum Division, PPIB, Geological Survey of Pakistan, Ministry of Water Resources and Water and Power Department of GB Government; (iii) Ministry of National Food Security and Research (Convener) and PARC; (iv) Ministry of Information Technology (Convener) and Ministry of Science and Technology; (v) Ministry of Communications (Convener), National Highways Authority, Ministry of Railway, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Gwadar Port Authority; and (vi) Ministry of Railways (Convener).

The chair directed that all ministries/division should clearly spell out their respective objectives/agenda/and ask for meetings with the delegation and share it with the CPEC Secretariat.—MUSHTAQ GHUMMAN