Dr. Safdar Sohail, Director General, National Institute of Management, Government of Pakistan, visited the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 for an interactive session on the topic “State of CPEC after 5 Years” at the Entrepreneurship and Management Excellence Center (EMEC), IoBM. It was largely-attended by HoDs, faculty and students.
Besides the presence of Mr. Talib Karim, President IoBM, this session was attended by Dr. Mehtab S. Karim, Founding Vice Chancellor, Malir University of Science and Technology, Karachi and by IoBM’s Dr. Ejaz Ahmed, Rector, Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder, Dean CBM and CES, Mr. Najmuddin A. Shaikh. Advisor Research and HoD Global and Regional Studies Centre, Dr. Shahida Wizarat, Dean, College of Economics and Social Development and HoD Economics Department and Dr. Talat Wizarat, HoD, Center for Policy and Area Studies Department.
During his welcome remarks, Mr. Talib Karim felt that it needed a pertinent and an illustrious background as that of Dr. Safdar Sohail to comprehensively discuss the intricacies and sensitivities of CPEC after five years. He thanked Dr. Mehtab S. Karim for facilitating Dr.Safdar Sohail’s visit to IoBM and requested him to introduce the distinguished guest with his professional accolades and his instrumental role in devising policy matters pertaining to CPEC.
Dr. Mehtab S. Karim said, Dr. Safdar Sohail is a PhD from the University of Paris, France and known for his academic and professional specialties in Philosophy and Economics, specially Development Economics. He introduced him as a “doer” in letter and in spirit vying to inform about CPEC, so well-known in China, to organizations, media and the common man in Pakistan.
During his talk, Dr. Safdar Sohail focused on the vision, policy, plans and projects related to the CPEC and how they have affected Pakistan and China’s economic outlook and their shared economic objectives during these five years. He shared while CPEC started well with early harvest projects pertaining to energy and infrastructure, its vision of Gwadar-Karachi blue economy, progress on industrial parks, agriculture and tourism and harnessing of water, mineral and human resources are serious concerns indeed! Debt traps and debt diplomacy and unfounded and incomprehensible fears about CPEC taking charge of our land and resources have weakened CPEC’s long-term prospects.
Dr. Safdar Sohail said he proposed to the then Minister that CPEC’s name may be changed to China Pakistan Economic Partnership for it benefits the economic and trade prospects of both countries. While emphasizing upon Pakistan’s economic structure, he said that the European Union (EU) and the Unites States are way ahead of Pakistan in terms of economic development. Therefore, Pakistan must integrate its economy with that of China to achieve social and economic progress.
Dr. Safdar Sohail also said that the CPEC vision was grandiose which needed a grand policy and a strategic framework and perhaps much is yet to be desired in this regard. He also commented that the CPEC is not a national plan but a geostrategic project destined to reshape the economic transit routes in South Asia and bring regional prosperity. He asserted we should not take CPEC as our national development plan it is now time for internal reforms in socio-economic development so we do not miss on this opportunity of Chinese financing and technology.
Parvez Jamil – Tel: 021-35091905, 111-002-004, ext. 334 – Cell: 0334-3013971, 0324-2899563
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