ISLAMABAD, March 17: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and President of Turkmenistan Mr. Gurbanguly Berduhamedov were briefed on Thursday on regional connectivity projects by Minister for Planning and Development Mr. Ahsan Iqbal and Chairman NHA Mr. Shahid Ashraf Tarar. Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and President of Turkmenistan Mr. Gurbanguly Berduhamedov were briefed about the proposed road projects to connect CARs with Pakistan under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Programme. Pakistan, China and central Asian states are part of CAREC Program. The CAREC Program is a partnership of 10 countries and 6 multilateral development partners to promote regional development through cooperation to achieve accelerated economic growth and poverty reduction. A detailed presentation was given to both the leaders on different options of connectivity routes with CARs. The proposed routes include roads from Gwadar with Termez via Quetta, Kandhar, Herat and Mazar Sharif. Another road is proposed to be constructed from Karachi to Tashkent via Torkhum, Kabul, Kunduz and Dushanbe. Third proposed route is Gwadar to Ashgabat, a road to be built via Quetta, Kandhar and Herat. Lastly, route to connect Gwadar with Tejen via Zahidan and Mashhad (Iran).
The Prime Minister said that infrastructural development of Pakistan is the economic lifeline of the country. The completion of Regional Connectivity projects along with CPEC projects will turn around the economic outlook of Pakistan and will prove to be a game changer for the entire region, the Prime Minister said.
The President of Turkmenistan Mr. Gurbanguly Berduhamedov appreciated the infrastructural development vision of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and expressed interest in those proposed routes which fall along the TAPI gas pipeline. The President also showed interest in investing in Gawadar in different areas including storage facilities. “We want to use Gawadar as our home port”, said the President of Turkmenistan Mr. Gurbanguly Berduhamedov. – DNA
