STORY: Motorway under CPEC cooperation contributes to development in Pakistan's remote region
SHOOTING TIME: June 2, 2024
DATELINE: June 13, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:53
LOCATION: Islamabad
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP (English): ALI JASWAL, Xinhua reporter
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): KASHIF NAWAZ, Project director of Sukkur-Multan Motorway
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MASROOR, Chief patrol officer of Sukkur-Multan Motorway
4. various of the Sukkur-Multan Motorway
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JAMAL NASIR SHAH, Resident near the motorway

STORYLINE:

STANDUP (English): ALI JASWAL, Xinhua reporter
"This Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M5), part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), built by the Chinese company, has not just provided state-of-the-art transportation facility, but in fact contributed to the socio-economic development of the area. Like all other CPEC projects, it is providing jobs as well as business opportunities to the people of the surrounding area, which is quite an underdeveloped part of Pakistan."

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): KASHIF NAWAZ, Project director of Sukkur-Multan Motorway
"The good thing is that during the execution, the Chinese company had planned in a right direction and they welcomed the local people and gave them jobs, and even they have deployed so many trainees for skill development for the educated people and uneducated people both.
The Chinese company has provided skill development to the people and capacity building of the local people so that they can get better business, better jobs with the other countries after the completion of this project."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MASROOR, Chief patrol officer of Sukkur-Multan Motorway
"The locals have found it a game-changer, especially the locals, because they have found jobs during the construction of this motorway. It's a kind of blessing for them. Roughly, I think 7,000 to 10,000 vehicles are traveling daily on this motorway."

M5 is part of the country's Peshawar-Karachi Motorway and was designed for speeds of up to 120 km/h with a total investment of around 2.89 billion U.S. dollars.

It connects Sukkur city in the center of the southern Sindh province to Multan city in the southern part of the eastern Punjab province, enhancing connectivity, trade and transportation in the country.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JAMAL NASIR SHAH, Resident near the motorway
"It's very beneficial for us, for local transport and other persons. It's a very good initiative China took and we are very thankful for that to the Chinese. Because of this motorway, we are having good business."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Islamabad.
(XHTV)