ISLAMABAD, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal said on Sunday that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has turned the strong political relations of Pakistan and China into deep-rooted economic ties.

Talking to the state-run Radio Pakistan in Lahore, Ahsan Iqbal said that under the CPEC, as many as nine industrial zones will be established across the country within the next two to three years, which will generate massive employment opportunities.

The Pakistani minister said that coal-powered energy projects with total power generation capacity of 1,320MW electricity have already been completed at Sahiwal in Punjab and at Port Qasim in southeastern port city of Karachi.

He further stated that 300MW solar power project has also been made operational in Bahawalpur in southern Punjab under the CPEC.

The planning minister pointed out that the incumbent government is tapping the Thar coal reserves, which could be the major source of electricity supply for the South Asian country for the next four hundred years.

The planning and development minister informed that the road network between southern cities of Quetta and Gwadar has been renovated which has shortened the traveling time between the two cities to only eight hours.

He mentioned that the reconstruction of Karakoram Highway and the extension project of Havelian-Thakot Motorway, Multan-Sukkur Motorway, and Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway will be completed by the end of the ongoing year.

The work on the Karachi, Peshawar, and Quetta Circular Railway Projects has also been commenced under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, he concluded. Enditem