ISLAMABAD: Experts stressed the need for recalibrating the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative to better address underlying causes for conflict and underdevelopment in the country and foster sustainable peace and development.
They said that challenges related to transparency, governance, and security continued to hinder the effective execution of the CPEC.
These views were expressed at an international roundtable conference, “Strategic Corridors: CPEC and the Quest for Peace and Stability in Pakistan and the Region”, held at a local hotel. The Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), in collaboration with Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), organized the moot.
The event brought together academics, diplomats, lawmakers, journalists, and peace and development experts from China, Norway, and Pakistan.
Dr. Arne Strand of the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), Norway, opened the discussion by explaining the link between peace and development. He called for taking the people-centric projects forward under the CPEC. “Is there a need for adjustments to the CPEC to better address underlying causes for conflict and underdevelopment (in Pakistan)?” he posed a question to the participants.
Dr. Zhang Jiegen, associate professor at the Center for South Asian Studies in Fudan University, China, emphasized the need for exploring the potential of the CPEC to bring peace, stability and development not only in Pakistan but also for the entire region. “Negativities circulating about the CPEC are not a reality,” he said, adding that the programme is linked to the geo-economics.
Dr. Ma Zheng, special associate research fellow at the School of International Relations in Sun Yat-sen University, China, said for Pakistan, the CPEC meant modernization of agriculture, industrialization, infrastructure enhancement, social and economic development, and stability. “The CPEC has given a sense that Pakistan’s peripheries, especially Balochistan, are being integrated into regional development,” she said.
Political analyst and human rights activist ex-senator Afrasiab Khattak said that the CEPC was very popular in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and no segment of the society was opposing this programme. “There is a need to resolve conflict in the region to move the project forward,” he said, adding that terrorism was a major hurdle in its implementation.
National Party Senator Jan Muhammad Buledi said economic development was not possible without open political discourse, and all issues about the CPEC, especially in Balochistan, should be resolved with a political consensus.
Dr. Wang Xu, executive deputy director of the Centre for South Asian Studies in Peking University, said China served as the economic facilitator for Pakistan both at the federal and regional levels. “We want poverty alleviation and social development in our neighbouring country,” he said, emphasising more interactions with Pakistani students, politicians, and officials to give them a better understanding about the Chinese development model.
Former president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Quetta-based journalist Shahzada Zulfiqar said the official narrative on the CPEC was very weak as compared to that of locals and dissident groups in Balochistan.
Imtiaz Gul, executive director at the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), underlined that Pakistan should bring drastic changes in its governance model to fully implement the CPEC. “There is a disconnect between the Chinese expectations and the country’s capacity,” he noted.
Tahir Khan, a senior journalist and expert on Afghan affairs, sees little prospect for the CPEC extension to Afghanistan because it has some outstanding issues with Pakistan.
Former foreign secretary Inam-ul-Haque stated that Pakistan and China had enjoyed a strategic partnership for many decades and would continue to do so. “Both should sit together to address each other’s concerns,” he added.
Dr. Kaja Borchgrevink, senior researcher at the PRIO, said issues on security and governance were coming in the way of cooperation for the execution of the CPEC. She thanked the participants for the heated discussion.
PIPS President Muhammad Amir Rana, while moderating the session, highlighted that centre-periphery tensions and governance challenges were a hindrance to the effective implementation of the CPEC.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
