To appease China, Pakistan appoints new Belt & Road chief

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 9 (ANI): Pakistan has replaced the chief of Belt and Road projects in an attempt to lure China as the appointed energy expert is close to Beijing, media reports said on Monday.

On August 3, Pakistan appointed Khalid Mansoor to the country’s top position responsible for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) — the 50 billion USD local component of Beijing’s Belt and Road Infrastructure plan — replacing Asim Saleem Bajwa, a retired army general, Nikkei Asia reported.

Khalid Mansoor, with a career spanning 32 years, has worked at top management positions in many energy-related companies including Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company and Hub Power Company Limited, the latter of which has been involved in CPEC projects, Nikkei Asia added.

Taking to Twitter, Pakistan’s Planning Minister Asad Umar said, “I welcome Khalid Mansoor to the team as SAPM for CPEC affairs. His vast corporate experience, with extensive work with Chinese companies and his direct involvement in leading some of the biggest CPEC projects makes him an ideal person to lead the next phase of CPEC.”

A number of projects under the CPEC, including those in the power sector, are currently facing delays for various reasons including the ongoing pandemic.

The CPEC multi-billion-dollar economic cooperation had not been able to complete the projects over the last three years and to maintain the impetus that delivered a series of power plants and other infrastructure projects in the first phase of the CPEC implementation, reported Dawn. (ANI)