Nawaz Sharif kicks off China-Pakistan Eco Corridor with motorway project

Islamabad: China and Pakistan have kicked off their multi-billion dollar Economic Corridor project that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) by laying the foundation of a fenced four-lane motorway, setting in motion a mammoth project connecting the two countries.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif performed the groundbreaking of a section of the motorway in the country's northwest on Saturday, signalling the implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) agreement.

The 60-km-long 4-lane fenced Hazara Motorway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province would cost $297 million and take two years to complete.

Mr. Sharif during his China visit early this month signed deals worth $45.6 billion which included projects connected with the Corridor, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

India has expressed its reservations to China over the Corridor as it is laid through the PoK. China defends the project saying it helps regional development.

Sceptics in both the countries, however, point to the rising tide of extremism in Pakistan which makes its construction extremely difficult.

The tenuous political and security situation in Pakistan prompted Chinese President Xi Jinping to cancel his trip to Islamabad in September during which he visited the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India.

During his November 8 visit to China, Mr. Sharif has promised full security to Chinese personnel involved in construction of the mammoth project.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called the Corridor a "flagship" project to strengthen China's connectivity with neighbouring countries and an initiative set to aid strategic framework for pragmatic cooperation between the two nations.

The two countries should facilitate the development of Gwadar Port in south-western Pakistan, strengthen cooperation in energy and electricity projects and the planned industrial parks along the corridor, Mr. Li was quoted as saying by the official news agency.

The Corridor was proposed in an agreement reached during Mr. Li's visit to Pakistan in May 2013.

Planned to connect Kashgar in China's Xinjiang with Pakistan's Gwadar Port in Balochistan province, the corridor is expected to serve as a terminal for China to pump oil procurement from Persian Gulf.