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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China opened the 14th meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Beijing on Friday, Radio Pakistan said, with officials pledging to expand cooperation in the second phase of the multibillion-dollar infrastructure program.

CPEC, launched in 2015 as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, saw more than $25 billion invested in energy and transport projects during its first phase, including motorways, power plants and the Gwadar port. The second phase is expected to shift the focus to industrial cooperation, agriculture, technology and human capital development.

CPEC projects have stalled in recent years due to persistent security threats to Chinese workers and bureaucratic delays, and Islamabad is now seeking to revive momentum under the second phase.

“CPEC Phase-II will mark a new era of people and youth-focused development,” Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal was quoted by Radio Pakistan as saying, with projects such as PhD scholarships, innovation centers and internships in Chinese institutions.

According to Iqbal, Gwadar — a deep-sea port in southwest Pakistan built with Chinese funding — has already transformed from a small fishing town into a key maritime hub for Beijing’s Belt and Road trade routes, while the planned Main Line-1 (ML-1) railway upgradation — a multibillion-dollar project to modernize Pakistan’s colonial-era rail network from Karachi to Peshawar — is expected to overhaul the country’s transport system. 

He added that joint laboratories in artificial intelligence and quantum sciences, agricultural reform projects and electric vehicle initiatives would also be part of the new phase.

The minister noted that Pakistan wants its exports to have the same level of preferential access to Chinese markets as those from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional bloc that already enjoys major trade concessions from Beijing. 

He said every corridor under Phase-II of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would be tied to specific export targets. Iqbal also pointed to a proposed “mining corridor” linking Chaghi — a mineral-rich district in Balochistan — to the Chinese-built port of Gwadar, which he said would open new avenues for investment. New border markets at Khunjerab Pass on the China border and Torkham on the Afghan frontier are also planned to boost regional trade, Ahsan added.

Iqbal stressed that Islamabad remained committed to securing CPEC projects and Chinese personnel working in Pakistan, describing the safety of investments as a government priority.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday launched its first green sukuk for the telecom sector and completed a major artificial intelligence-powered battery storage project, in a move aimed at cutting emissions, reducing diesel dependence and modernizing the country’s digital infrastructure.

The sukuk — a Shariah-compliant Islamic bond worth up to Rs3 billion ($10.8 million) — is designed to finance the rollout of low-carbon, AI-enabled energy solutions for thousands of telecom towers across the country. The bond was launched by Infralectric, a subsidiary of Brillanz Group, in partnership with InfraZamin Pakistan.

The launch coincided with the completion of Pakistan’s first 25 megawatt-hour (MWh) Energy Storage-as-a-Service project, which uses Thunder AI technology to optimize power use at telecom sites. 

The battery network is expected to reduce diesel consumption by more than 5 million liters a year, cut around 13,500 tons of CO₂ emissions annually — equivalent to planting over 220,000 trees — and improve network uptime across Pakistan’s telecom portfolio.

“Today is a historic moment for Pakistan’s digital and energy future,” Bilal Qureshi, CEO of Brillanz Group, said in a statement. 

“With Thunder AI-powered ESaaS and the launch of the first Green Sukuk for telecom, we’re proving that innovation and sustainability can drive growth together. At Brillanz, we remain committed to continuing to invest in solutions that deliver lasting impact.”

Government officials hailed the announcement as a milestone in Pakistan’s climate and digital transition efforts.

“Today is indeed a historic day for Pakistan,” said Fahd Haroon, Minister of State and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Digital Media, adding that the two initiatives showed how innovation and collaboration could modernize thousands of telecom towers, cut carbon emissions, and create scalable green investments.

Maheen Rahman, CEO of InfraZamin Pakistan, said the partnership underscored the potential of Islamic finance to accelerate the shift to sustainable infrastructure.

“Infralectric are a prime candidate for the Sukuk market,” Rahman said.

“We are keen to explore mechanisms to enable an Infralectric Green Sukuk, which would mark a pivotal step in unlocking sustainable finance for Pakistan’s telecom sector. Such initiatives modernize critical digital infrastructure and also contribute to Pakistan’s decarbonization and long-term economic resilience.”