Islamabad, Pakistan (CU)_ According to the latest statement released by Gwadar Pro, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has earmarked funding for the development of the Pak-China Research Center of Economic Development (PCRCED) at the University of Swat. The project would take five years to complete at an estimated cost of Rs 1,230,540 million. KP has set aside Rs 56,420 million from its 2022-2023 financial year budget, with the remaining funds to be disbursed in the following years.
The projected Pak-China Research Centre will include the study and research of China and the Swat valley’s various arts, cultures, history, and politics. With the use of exchange programs, the center may further strengthen ties between the people of the Swat valley and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China. As the Swat valley and Xinjiang are physically close and only Gilgit-Baltistan separates them, they have already established centuries-old cultural and commercial links.
According to Professor Dr Hassan Sher, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Swat, “PCRCED will serve as a think tank and research center for research studies on matters of mutual interest between Pakistan and China and that the center is expected to contribute immensely to the students, people of the areas and the country.”
The vice chancellor stated that the University of Swat is situated on the major route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), thereby raising the value of the planned university. He added, “The center will also develop a mechanism to prepare graduates to fully exploit opportunities arising out of CPEC and related projects”. In the backdrop of the ‘Pakistan Vision 2025,’ which focuses on domestic resources for economic growth, Dr. Hassan Sher stated that the center will utilize local resources for the local community’s and Pakistan’s overall development.
