Pakistan takes the steam out of CPEC project

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project that was commenced a decade ago was held as a harbinger of prosperity for Pakistan.

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However, seven years later, many projects under the CPEC still remain non-starters while some of those being operational have become liabilities and are incurring losses.

China’s ambitious CPEC project launched in 2013 was flawed from the beginning when it was assumed that it would be able to generate jobs and growth in Pakistan. While China had its own agenda of resolving its energy needs through the CPEC project by bypassing the existing route from the Straits of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia, Pakistan was constantly grappling with its internal horrors like blasphemy-related lynching and over-expressive “jihadi” groups.

Ever since the CPEC project came into existence few local groups started opposing it and the project itself faced a lack of a “skilled” workforce.

The education system of Pakistan is in shambles and it offered low-grade human capital. Corruption has been a bedrock of CPEC dealings in Pakistan. Officials and companies involved received kickbacks and everything was overlooked in the name of national security with no opacity.