Pakistan admits feeling challenged over seeing CPEC through

Pakistan's Planning Minister, Ahsan Iqbal, who is here to participate in a World Economic Forum meeting, admitted Wednesday that his government is facing some challenges in steering the ambitious over USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The Express Tribune quoted Iqbal, as saying, "There are a number of challenges which have to be addressed. There are actually many gaps that we have to correctly address. First and foremost is the coordination gap."

He was further quoted, as saying, "There are also challenges in terms of different regions", adding that Pakistan's provinces are competing for greater opportunities in the project.

The government has built a mechanism to coordinate with "internal and external stakeholders" in the scheme, he said without elaborating.

Pakistan and China aim to build a network of rail, road and energy infrastructure as part of the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative.