by Misbah Saba Malik
ISLAMABAD, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Fazal Rahim has been working on Port Qasim Power Plant project for six years. The plant is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). During his time at the plant, Rahim has witnessed immense growth on both professional and personal levels.
"I was a fresh graduate when I started here, and now, six years later, I am a deputy director of a department. I was well trained by Chinese staff who provided me with plenty of opportunities to excel."
Port Qasim created almost 10,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction. The operational phase employs about 600 local people.
"I know many people who found it hard to make the ends meet, but after finding work at the plant they are leading pretty good lives. Their kids go to nice schools and they eat better food. Some of them have even built houses. I can help my parents, and I pay for my younger brothers' education. I am financially stable and they get to study in good universities. Their future prospects are very promising," he said.
Rahim and 26 other employees were given awards for their outstanding contributions to the CPEC by the Chinese Embassy to Pakistan recently. Investment has started pouring in CPEC to special economic zones and employment opportunities in sectors ranging from agriculture and IT are following, with the potential to offer a large number of new jobs to Pakistani youth.
According to the embassy, the CPEC, an important pilot project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, has created 75,000 jobs in Pakistani since its launch in 2013, with more to come in the second phase.
Asad Umar, Pakistani minister for planning, development and special initiatives, said that the second phase of CPEC was broadening. "We have added agriculture, and we have added science and technology - actual acceleration will be seen in phase two," Umar said.
Pakistani staff say they are living the dream of working in world-class companies, learning every day from world-class Chinese colleagues who are always ready to share their knowledge. The CPEC has greatly eased Pakistan's energy crisis and employed large numbers of people. The second phase holds promising prospects for a prosperous future.
"I have been working with the Chinese for seven years, and I have learned a lot about time management, scheduling and planning - important if we are going to get whatever we are working on completed in time," said Arsalan Khan, who won an award for his work at the Karot Hydropower Project. Enditem