Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa says CPEC game-changer for regional growth, development

PESHAWAR: Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Tuesday said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a game-changer project that held the key to Pakistan’s economic growth, regional stability and prosperity.

Speaking at the International CPEC Seminar at the Governor’s House here, he emphasized that CPEC was vital for reshaping Pakistan’s destiny and fostering national development. Pak-China Window, Iranian Consul General in Peshawar Ali Banafsha Khwa, former ambassadors Naghmana Hashmi and educationist Dr Khalid Khan, business leaders, investors, media representatives, and students attended the event.

Various speakers, including Tahir Farooq, Zahid Latif, Dr Khalid Khan, and others shed light on the importance of CPEC and expectations tied to its second phase.Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed also addressed the seminar via a video message, reiterating CPEC’s strategic significance for Pakistan, especially for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Governor Kundi pointed out that while the Havelian-Dera Ismail Khan road was the only completed project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under CPEC so far, progress on connecting Balochistan to Dera Ismail Khan in the second phase remained sluggish.

He stressed the need for KP to leverage more benefits from CPEC and urged the provincial government to actively engage with the federal government. “Like other provinces, KP should ensure its representatives are part of official visits to China to secure long-term projects for the province,” he added.

He welcomed the Rashakai Economic Zone but voiced concerns about the feasibility of the Daraban Economic Zone, saying that attracting investment to that area may be challenging.The governor said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was bearing the brunt of terrorism, and that weapons left behind in Afghanistan were now being used against Pakistan.

“Terrorism in Pakistan is being orchestrated from Afghan soil. While we fought alongside the international community against terrorism, we were ultimately left to face the consequences alone,” he said. He urged for unity, strategic planning, and self-reliance to overcome the country’s challenges.