The Pakistani government has dismissed a retired army general who was heading the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) administration and replaced him with a management professional who will now supervise the project.
Lt Gen (retd.) Asim Saleem Bajwa, a former army spokesperson, was on Tuesday replaced by Khalid Mansoor as the authority to head the affairs of the CPEC, ET has learned.
Beijing has already expressed concerns over the delayed execution of the CPEC and the decision to remove Bajwa came days after the Pakistan foreign minister visited China for consultations.
PM Imran Khan appointed Bajwa as chairman of the CPEC authority in November 2019 amid the opposition’s criticism of the formation of the authority.
The local people in Pakistan have been contesting Chinese-led investment-oriented development strategies. Concerns about debt traps, lack of transparency, aggressive diplomacy, and friction due to excessive use of Chinese labor have often resulted in conflict at the local level.
