KARACHI: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday Islamabad and China needed to finalize the modalities for other countries to be part of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, as Islamabad seeks to attract foreign investment into Pakistan.

Dar, who is also Pakistan’s foreign minister, was speaking at a joint press conference with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, which the Pakistani official is visiting on a four-day official trip as Pakistan moves into phase two of CPEC, an initiative in which Beijing has pledged to invest $65 billion.

The project spans several phases, each with distinct goals and impacts on the region. The first phase began in 2015 and mainly focused on building critical infrastructure, particularly in the transportation and energy sectors. The second phase expands the focus to include industrial cooperation, agricultural development and the promotion of social and economic development. This phase is also expected to include the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), efforts to boost green energy production like hydropower and solar energy, and initiatives to modernize agriculture and increase exports.

In the past, Pakistan has invited Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Germany, UAE, Iran, Indonesia and Afghanistan to join CPEC but there has been no progress on the invitation.

“As we embark on phase two of CPEC we look forward to developing corridors of growth, livelihood, innovation, green development, and inclusivity to carry forward our shared vision of making CPEC an inclusive and transparent project,” Dar said at the press conference. 

“We also need to finalize the modalities for third party participation in CPEC.”

In 2022, then former prime minister Imran Khan welcomed all countries and international organizations to participate in the flagship project. PM Shehbaz Sharif has also invited other nations to join the project.

“We appreciate China’s development assistance to Pakistan and look forward to further enhancing China’s development footprint in Pakistan, to attract foreign investment in diverse sectors under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC),” Dar said, referring to a special body set up last year to oversee foreign investments. “I commend China’s readiness to deepen our financial bilateral trade and investment.”

Dar said his visit would help in accelerating the implementation of the Mainline-1 (ML-1) railway project, a $6.8 billion project to upgrade its railway lines, along with the realignment of the Karakoram Highway and strengthening “cooperation in agriculture, mining, minerals, energy, information technology and industrial sectors.”

The Pakistani official also condoled on behalf of the Pakistani leadership and people over the killing of five Chinese workers in a suicide bombing in Pakistan in March.

Vowing to bring the planners, financiers and perpetrators of the attack to justice, Dar said China and Pakistan would maintain close cooperation through bilateral channels in this regard.

“I have shared with his Excellency, the foreign minister, extensive and deliberate measures we have taken to protect Chinese interests in Pakistan while thanking China for acknowledging the sacrifices Pakistan has made against terrorism,” he said. 

“Let me express our focus on that. We will not rest until the last menace of terrorism is finally eliminated from Pakistan.”

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was granted bail in a land corruption case on Wednesday, but will remain in prison on other charges.
The 71-year-old former cricket star who has been in jail since August last year has been convicted in four cases, of which sentences in two have been suspended.
Details of the convictions and some important cases follow:

STATE SECRETS CASE
Khan is serving 10 years in prison on charges of making public a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington in 2022, in what is commonly known as the cipher case. An appeal seeking to suspend the sentence is being heard by the Islamabad High Court.
Khan has said the cable was proof of a conspiracy by the Pakistan military and US government to topple his government in 2022 after he visited Moscow just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Washington and Pakistan’s military deny that accusation.

UNLAWFUL MARRIAGE CASE
Khan and his wife, Bushra Khan, also known as Bushra Bibi, are serving seven-year jail terms after a trial court ruled that their 2018 marriage broke the law. An appeal against this case is being heard by a sessions court.
They were charged with not completing the waiting period mandated by Islam, called “Iddat,” after Bibi divorced her previous husband. They signed their marriage contract, or “Nikkah,” in January 2018 in a secret ceremony.

STATE GIFTS CASES
Khan was handed jail sentences — one of 14 years and the other three years — in two cases pertaining to illegally acquiring and selling state gifts. Both sentences have been suspended by high courts while his appeals are heard.
Also known as the Toshakhana or state treasury case, Khan and his wife are charged with selling gifts worth more than 140 million rupees ($501,000) in state possession, which he received during his 2018-2022 premiership.
The gifts included diamond jewelry and seven watches, six of them Rolexes — the most expensive being valued at 85 million rupees ($304,000).

ABETTING VIOLENCE

Khan is facing a trial under anti-terrorism charges in connection with violence against the military and other state installations that erupted following his brief arrest in May last year.
A number of Khan’s supporters have been sentenced by military courts, but the case against Khan is ongoing.