Alice Wells Once Again Criticizes CPEC, Asks Pakistan To Rethink About It

(@fidahassanain)

Alice Wells once again criticizes CPEC, asks Pakistan to rethink about it

The senior US diplomat says that the project lacked transparency and will  cause more burden on Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: (Urdu Point/Pakistan Point News-Jan 22, 2020) Senior US diplomat Alice Wells once again asked Pakistan to rethink its involvement in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, the report said here on Wednesday.

Alice Wells strongly criticize CPEC that it lacked transparency in all its projects, saying that Pakistan’s debt burden was growing due to the Chinese financing. She expressed these views while talking at a think tank event. Academicians and representatives of civil society also took part in the sitting in Islamabad.

Alice who was on four-day visit to Pakistan after visit to India and Sri Lanka targeted flagship project of China’s One Belt One Road Initiative. She said that the companies blacklisted by the World Bank got contracts in the CPEC. The US ambassador also objected to the immunity from prosecution for the newly formed CPEC Authority that served as the focal body working to identify new areas of cooperation and projects, besides facilitation, coordination and monitoring of ongoing projects.

Amb Wells stated that Chinese money was not assistance. By getting Chinese financing for the projects, Pakistan was buying expensive loans and as a buyer it needed to be aware of what it was doing as this would take a heavy toll on its already struggling economy.

The diplomat also touched on the cost escalation in railways ML-1 upgrade project. The link connects Karachi with Peshawar. She urged the government to be transparent about the mega project.

According to a Foreign Office statement, the US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells also called o Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood. In their meeting, they discussed bilateral issues including the prospects of intensifying political engagement and expanding economic partnership. “It was emphasised that a strong trade and investment relationship was key to advancing the shared vision of the leadership of both countries for a long term, broad-based and enduring partnership,” the statement read.

They also discussed the current situation of Occupied Kashmir and the Indian violations of Line of Control. The foreign secretary urged the need for international community to play its role for ending the rights violations and peaceful resolution of the dispute.

Fida Hussnain

Fida Hussnain is a lahore based journalist. He writes on politics, religion, social issues and climate change. He is also a research fellow at University of Gujrat.