The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which Islamabad had envisaged as an economic game-changer is actually turning out to be a costly venture as it has failed to achieve its targets and instead landed Pakistan in a $9.5 billion debt trap. This delay has cost Pakistan dearly. Currently, Pakistan owes more than $7.5 billion for setting up power plants and additional nearly $2 billion to Chinese energy producers in circular debt, or unpaid bills, the article states. The article points out that one of the main challenges to CPEC has been the political infighting in Pakistan. Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the TTP has rapidly increased the number of attacks in Pakistan, the article points out.