On Wednesday, Asad Umer, Pakistan’s Minister of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives,  held a review meeting of projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). But the meeting ended in a few minutes as very few of the projects saw progress.

Delay in the implementation of projects under CPEC is causing worry among the political leadership of both countries. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi even called the delay against the “national interest”, as per a report in The News.

Despite repeated directives from the country’s top political leadership, federal and provincial bureaucracy failed to meet deadlines.

Planning Minister Asad Umar informed that the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense sought more time to resolve outstanding issues.

Currently, 21 projects with an estimated cost of $12 billion are yet to be completed. So far, 17 projects, worth $13 billion, have been completed. The report also said Foreign Minister Qureshi made some "strong observations" during the last meeting regarding delays in projects. He, however, didn’t attend the Wednesday meeting.

Earlier, the CPEC chairman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa (Retd) also held discussions with provincial officials in Baluchistan. Several projects are facing delays due to the lack of interagency cooperation.