CPEC has created 260,000 jobs for locals: FO Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri

Pakistan and China have so far completed 19 projects under the umbrella of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor while 28 are under-construction.

The Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, at a weekly media briefing in Islamabad today (Thursday), said both countries are committed to implementation of CPEC for quality economic growth and enhanced regional connectivity.

He said over the past seven years, CPEC projects have created more than 26,000 jobs and boosted local power industry.

The spokesperson said the CPEC motorway projects have created over 50,000 jobs.

On Palestine issue, he said Pakistan believes that a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian state based on internationally agreed parameters with the pre-1967 borders, and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital is the only way forward to the Palestine issue.

On Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the spokesperson said lives and livelihoods of the Kashmiri people have been severely affected in the aftermath of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5th August 2019.

Zahid Hafeez said India continues with its design to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory in clear violation of international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.

He said India has already issued over 3.4 million fake domicile certificates.

The FO spokesperson said India’s gross and systematic violations of human rights in the occupied territory and lack of accountability of the perpetrators have been widely documented by a number of independent Commissions and human rights’ organizations.