2021 Outstanding Staff of CPEC Projects
ISLAMABAD, 29th Dec (Gwadar Pro) – Today (29th), The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan hosted an awarding ceremony to commend Pakistani staff of CPEC projects for their outstanding contributions to the construction of CPEC in 2021.
Asad Umar, Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Nong Rong, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Ying Xiong, Director General of National Development and Reform Commission of China, Khalid Mansoor, Special Assistant to PM on CPEC Affairs, and Yang Jianduo, Chairman of All-Pakistan Chinese Enterprises’ Association, delivered speeches at the ceremony.
Award winning staff include: Abdullah Ze Hasham, Hafiz Hussam Sohail from Orange Line Metro Rail Transit System, Muhammad Shah Zareen Khan from Orange line project Lahore (EPC), Arsalan Khan from Karot Hydropower Project, Fazal Rahim from Port Qasim Power Plant, Mohsin Uddin and Sufyan Ansar Warraich from Thar Block-I, Hasnain Mushtaq, Syed Abdul Ghafoor and Izat Khan from Thar Block-II, Hassan Afroze Ahmad from Sahiwal Thermal Power Plant, Majid Hassan Qureshi and Muhammad Sohail from Suki-Kinari Hydropower project, Malik Usama Hamid from Challenge Fashion Ltd., Mohammad Aftab Khan Abbassi from 1124MW Kohala Hydropower Project, Muhammad Ibrahim from Saindak Copper and Gold Project, Muhammad Nauma Younas from Zonergy 900MW Solar Project, Nadeem Ilyas from Diamer Basha Dam Project, Naseer Ahmed from Gwadar Port and Gwadar Free Zone, Rashid Iqbal from East Bay Express Way, Rizawana Ghani from Hub Coal Power Project, Syed Abdul Samad Shah from Three Gorges Second Phase Wind Power Projects, Tanveer Afzal Mirza from 99MW UEP Wind Power Project, Umar Idrees from The Smart Classroom Project, Yousuf Karim from KKH-II, Zahid Rasool Grewal from Peshawar-Karachi Motorway project, Zulqarnain Haider from Matiari-Lahore HVDC Transmission Line.
Representatives of award owners addressed speeches and shared their stories with CPEC.
Umar believes that choosing to construct CPEC not only contributes to the development of the two countries, but also provides great opportunities for the personal development of each builder. “I believe that the Pakistani staff, which are working in these world class companies, have a tremendous opportunity of learning and growth. And like the award winners today who have obviously taken advantage of these opportunities.”
He also reiterated that the Pakistani government and people are determined to speed up the construction of CPEC and actively promote cooperation in various fields. Pakistan is also pushing for other countries to join the CPEC framework. “The most exciting new development is the information technology sector. China has made tremendous progress in this domain, and Pakistan is now also starting to see significant progress. We saw that the export of information technology services grew by 47 % in last year. And I’m very pleased that this year, there is a further growth of 38 % which has taken place in the first 4 months. Therefore, the cooperation between Pakistani and Chinese companies in this domain can open a tremendous opportunity for both sides,” he said.
Nong Rong also congratulated the winners. He said: “we are very pleased to see that Prime Minister attaches great importance to CPEC. Good news also comes from different sectors of cooperation. The achievements of CPEC are not possible without joint efforts of staff from both China and Pakistan. In particular, the 27 Pakistani staff who participate in the award ceremony today, are outstanding representatives in this regard. CPEC, as a landmark project of China-Pakistan cooperation in the new era, and a successful regional economic cooperation platform, provides a broad stage for people to display their talents and realize personal values. It is hoped that the Chinese and Pakistani staff will cherish the opportunity, contribute to the construction of CPEC with practical actions.”
Yang said at the event: “most CPEC projects have been completed timely and play a key role in the economy. It is indeed a miracle achieved through the hardworking of both Pakistani and Chinese staff. All the participated staff have a spirit of good learning, a spirit of trust and optimism. The spirit is developing rapidly within the guidance and support of both governments and started from zero with lots of uncertainty.”
“Despite the fact that normal life all over the world has been disrupted by the pandemic, the CPEC projects have not faced any major blocks and have instead achieved major progress and milestones. So far, projects under the CPEC framework have generated more than 85,000 direct jobs. The second phase of CPEC is kicking off with expeditious development of special economic zones, cooperation in agriculture, science, and technology, Information, technology, the other port and Free zone and social economic development sectors. Pakistan has the 9th largest labor force in the world with a population growth rate of 1.94 %. With such a growth rate, a large number of young labor force is being added every year. These young workers with appropriate training will cater to the skilled manpower requirement of the second phase of CPEC,” Mansoor especially mentioned at the ceremony.
Ying Xiong recalled the cases of friendship and mutual assistance between China and Pakistan in the past year, which proved the achievements of CPEC construction under the double pressure of changing international situation and severe epidemic situation. “Today, I was deeply moved to hear the wonderful and touching stories of Pakistani practitioners of CPEC. They are outstanding representatives of CPEC and the most beautiful workers in CPEC construction. They also represent the industrious and brave national spirit of both China and Pakistan,” he said.
At the end of the event, Nong Rong and Umar presented medals to the outstanding Pakistani Staff of CPEC Projects.
