ISLAMABAD: Senator Mushahid Hussain said that first ever International Forum on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was very successful today.

Mushahid Hussain, who is Chairman of the Senate Defence Committee and Co-chair of the Joint Pakistan China think-tank, Research and Development International (RDI), while talking to the media said tht the International Forum brought together for the first time, parliamentarians from major Pakistani political parties, policy makers, journalists and heads of important national organizations like, the FWO and the NLC at one platform.

Senator Mushahid said that the conference had a 3-fold significance. "First, the international forum on the CPEC has been institutionalized and now it will be a regular annual conference bringing together both sides on one platform," he said.

Second, Xinjiang is the entry point of the CPEC from the Chinese side and Balochistan is the entry point of the CPEC from the Port of Gawadar as a result of which this conference established close relations between the two provinces of Xinjiang and Balochistan by developing a sister city relationship of Gawadar and Karamay as the top officials of Gawadar including the heads of the GPA and GDA and the Nazim of Gawadar were present.

Third, this was the first platform on which top civil and military organizations with the common goal gathered together on one platform for promoting the common objective of building the CPEC.

Both the Chinese and Pakistani side signed MOUs for future cooperation worth almost $ 2 billion. In his keynote address to the conference, Senator Mushahid Hussain said that 36 years after 1979 when the whole region was destabilized by the beginning of the Afghan war and foreign military intervention, "there is a glimmer of hope that the region is being stabilized and Pakistan too has made progress in the campaign against terrorism and extremism which is a common enemy of both China and Pakistan".

In this regard, he referred to the Afghan peace process being hosted by Pakistan with the support of China and the United State, the impact of the Iran nuclear deal and the CPEC as major new developments which would have a positive impact on the region and help promote regional cooperation.

He said that it is important that both sides move forward in an organized and planned manner to promote the CPEC and the role of Gawadar and the Balochistan province would be pivotal in this regard.

Dr. Zhao Baige, the Chair of the RDI said that the purpose of the forum was to "move beyond talking to implementing and moving forward in a practical manner to promote cooperation between the 2 countries in different areas under the framework of the CPEC".

Senator Mushahid Hussain led the Pakistani delegation to attend the CPEC Forum last week which included Senator Salim Mandviwala, Chairman Senate Finance Committee, Senator Hasil Bizenjo, Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, Chair of Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Lt. Gen. Khalid Asghar, Quarter Master General (QMG) of the Pakistan Army, Lt. Gen. Javed Bokhari, Engineer-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army, Lt. Gen. (R) Ghulam Mustafa Khan, former head of the Fauji Foundation, and others.

today.

Mushahid Hussain, who is Chairman of the Senate Defence Committee and Co-chair of the Joint Pakistan China think-tank, Research and Development International (RDI), while talking to the media said tht the International Forum brought together for the first time, parliamentarians from major Pakistani political parties, policy makers, journalists and heads of important national organizations like, the FWO and the NLC at one platform.

Senator Mushahid said that the conference had a 3-fold significance. "First, the international forum on the CPEC has been institutionalized and now it will be a regular annual conference bringing together both sides on one platform," he said.

Second, Xinjiang is the entry point of the CPEC from the Chinese side and Balochistan is the entry point of the CPEC from the Port of Gawadar as a result of which this conference established close relations between the two provinces of Xinjiang and Balochistan by developing a sister city relationship of Gawadar and Karamay as the top officials of Gawadar including the heads of the GPA and GDA and the Nazim of Gawadar were present.

Third, this was the first platform on which top civil and military organizations with the common goal gathered together on one platform for promoting the common objective of building the CPEC.

Both the Chinese and Pakistani side signed MOUs for future cooperation worth almost $ 2 billion. In his keynote address to the conference, Senator Mushahid Hussain said that 36 years after 1979 when the whole region was destabilized by the beginning of the Afghan war and foreign military intervention, "there is a glimmer of hope that the region is being stabilized and Pakistan too has made progress in the campaign against terrorism and extremism which is a common enemy of both China and Pakistan".

In this regard, he referred to the Afghan peace process being hosted by Pakistan with the support of China and the United State, the impact of the Iran nuclear deal and the CPEC as major new developments which would have a positive impact on the region and help promote regional cooperation.

He said that it is important that both sides move forward in an organized and planned manner to promote the CPEC and the role of Gawadar and the Balochistan province would be pivotal in this regard.

Dr. Zhao Baige, the Chair of the RDI said that the purpose of the forum was to "move beyond talking to implementing and moving forward in a practical manner to promote cooperation between the 2 countries in different areas under the framework of the CPEC".

Senator Mushahid Hussain led the Pakistani delegation to attend the CPEC Forum last week which included Senator Salim Mandviwala, Chairman Senate Finance Committee, Senator Hasil Bizenjo, Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, Chair of Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Lt. Gen. Khalid Asghar, Quarter Master General (QMG) of the Pakistan Army, Lt. Gen. Javed Bokhari, Engineer-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army, Lt. Gen. (R) Ghulam Mustafa Khan, former head of the Fauji Foundation, and others.