PPP questions use of G-B land for CPEC

Party urged chief secretary to refrain from allotting land

GILGIT: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)’s G-B chapter staged a rally in Danyor Town of Gilgit on Tuesday, demanding that the region’s due share in the multibillion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and ownership rights for locals over barren lands should be respected.

“If G-B is a disputed region and its representation is not possible in the parliament, how is its land being used for CPEC?” asked regional PPP President Amjad Hussain.

The rally coincided with G-B’s 69th Independence Day which was marked across the region on Tuesday.

“We are Pakistanis and are more loyal than anybody else.”

He was addressing the rally which was attended by around 5,000 people.

“We are being deprived of our share in CPEC and our constitutional rights,” said Hussain who has previously served as a member of the G-B Council in the previous PPP government.

He urged the G-B chief secretary to refrain from allotting land for CPEC or any other government projects without first determining compensation for the affected parties.

“We will protest if this injustice continues with the people,” said Hussain. He stressed locals must be given ownership rights over land, as had been afforded to people in other parts of the country.

The rally was addressed by leaders of other parties including the Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen and the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam–Fazl. The speakers termed it an injustice to keep the region of G-B deprived of CPEC benefits and called on the federal government to take note of the situation before it’s too late.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2016.