Pakistani parliamentary committee directs to give special focus to CPEC SEZs

Islamabad A Pakistani parliamentary committee has directed that the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) being developed under purview of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) should be given focus.

A meeting of the Standing Committee on Planning Development and Special Initiatives was held here under the Chairmanship of Member National Assembly Junaid Akbar.

The Committee was also briefed regarding the various CPEC SEZs in different cities, said an official statement issued after the meeting.

The Committee directed that the CPEC SEZs should be given due importance and special focus so that the returns start coming.
The Committee unanimously confirmed minutes of its previous meeting held on 10th February, 2021. The Ministry gave a compliance report regarding the recommendations of the previous meeting.

However, the Committee raised its concerns over the issues raised regarding Diamer-Bhasha Dam and Kartarpur Corridor Projects and recommended that the Ministry may come up with satisfactory responses and action till the next Committee meeting.

The representatives of the Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, gave an in-depth review regarding the ongoing Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) Projects of the Ministry for the year 2020-21.

While discussing those projects, it was recommended that the Ministry ought to ensure that the funds allocated for development projects were not being spent on recurring basis for the same projects indefinitely.

Moreover, it was also recommended that performance audit of some ongoing projects may be conducted to evaluate their feasibility and utility.

It was also highlighted that there was a lack of co-ordination between the PSDP projects of the Federal Government and the Annual Development Programs (ADP) of the Provincial Governments especially with regards to areas, formerly part of the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA).

The Committee recommended that the Ministry may take measures to bring harmony and coherence in the PSDPs and ADPs for their proper execution and to avoid duplication of efforts, said the statement.

Members Sher Akbar Khan, Shaukat Ali, Syed Faizul Hassan, Nawab Sher, Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, Muhammad Sajjad, Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, Sardar Muhammad Irfan Dogar, Abdul Shakoor, Sahibzada Sibghatullah and senior officers from the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives attended the meeting.