The safety of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which connects Pakistan with China and the Central Asian countries, is the top priority for the Pakistani army.

Pakistan's military spokesperson Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa (L) and Ambassador of Pakistan to China Masood Khalid (R) at a press conference in Beijing on May 17, 2016. [Photo by Gong Jie/China.org.cn]

"There is an integrated mechanism of all the state and provincial security operators which already exists. Additionally, a proper security division has been assembled, which consists of about 15,000 people. It is commanded by a major general. And an equally sizable security division is being put together for the south of the CPEC in the southern part of Pakistan," said Pakistan's military spokesperson Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa.

The top concern for the CPEC is the security situation, as there are 12,000 to 13,000 Chinese engineers and workers who are already working for CPEC projects in Pakistan.

"The Pakistani army is dedicated to the safety of the CPEC," said Pakistan's military spokesperson. "We are not only providing security for building the CPEC and the management of the CPEC, but also for building roads and infrastructure." According to the spokesperson, the Pakistani army's engineers are building a road about 874 kilometers long in the province of Balochistan in the south of Pakistan, 670 kilometers of which they have already completed. Therefore, the Pakistan army is providing both the security and the construction work for the road. The construction work is being undertaken in remote areas in parts of the CPEC by army engineers and army engineering units.

The CPEC is an opportunity for Pakistan to improve the socio-economic condition of its underprivileged areas and populace. "It is a project which brings a lot of hope and light for bringing prosperity to Pakistan," said the spokesperson. "Therefore, every Pakistani has an obligation to participate in the development of CPEC."

According to the spokesperson, it is expected that cargo will be able to be moved from China to Gwadar Port by the end of 2016 along the highways.