Quetta: The 8th meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has approved USD 1 billion for a social development package in its eighth meeting, a news source reported. Balochistan was represented by Balochistan Information Minister Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi along with a delegation at the JCC meeting held in Beijing.
On the return, Buledi said that the Chinese government will help Pakistan in textile, petrochemical, steel, and mining sectors, and provide 20,000 scholarships to Pakistani students. He added that Balochistan had demanded half of the amount approved for the social development package, in addition to half of the scholarships. The Balochistan delegation also suggested that Quetta-Zhob and Quetta-Surab dual carriageways be included in CPEC.
The minister was satisfied with the pace of development work in CPEC and said that the meeting had decided to accelerate the pace of work on Gwadar port and other related projects.
