If ifs and buts were rupees, yuans and dollars, we'd all be billionaires. -- Khanate
It isn't limited to transmission lines and marine infrastructure. The project is based entirely on imported coal. The investors are Chinese. This adds pressure on foreign exchange reserves when payments for OEM, suppliers and investors come up. And this is all besides the rising imports, circular-debt, environmental concerns and the climate-change politics.
Worse still, the overall cost of the project is somewhere between $12-$16 billion. At this price, you can build a mega hydroelectric dam (Diamer-Bhasha Dam) with the added benefit of streamlining water management which is another critical area for Pakistan. And you don't need to import coal. Additionally, Chinese investors, CTG, NEA, etc., get to ease pressure on themselves for all the stalled hydroelectric projects in Myanmar. This is wisdom of the markets at display for you.