ISLAMABAD - Paksitani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday that any delay in the implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects will not be tolerated.

"Delay in completion of projects under the umbrella of CPEC will not be tolerated," a statement from the PM office quoted the prime minister as saying.

The CPEC, a 3,000-km network of roads, railways and pipelines linking Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and southwest Pakistan's Gwadar Port, is a major project of China's "Belt and Road" initiative.

During a meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on the status of the CPEC projects, Prime Minister Sharif said that the concerned officers and officials who fail to complete related projects timely will not be part of the team.

"The CPEC is the future of Pakistan and its timely completion is top priority of the government," he said.

The prime minister would personally review the pace and progress of the projects through the core team and direct the concerned authorities to update project benchmarks on a monthly and quarterly basis that would be monitored by the prime minister on a weekly basis.

"The CPEC would lead to generation of employment opportunities across the country and would lead to enhancement in trade and poverty reduction," he said.