Allow CPEC project to progress, urges JI

Liaquat Baloch says the focus of politics in the country should be oriented towards progress and prosperity

HYDERABAD:

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has urged all the political parties to allow the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project to progress without encountering stumbling blocks.

The party's general secretary, Liaquat Baloch, addressing a convention of the party's student wing in Hyderabad on Tuesday, said political controversies are creating problems for the project.

"The focus of politics in the country should be oriented towards progress and prosperity," said Baloch. "The CPEC is a promising project in this regard." He asked the federal government to immediately initiate work on the CPEC's western route, which passes through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan.  At a recent all parties' conference in Islamabad, organised by Balochistan National Party - Mengal, politicians from the three smaller provinces also complained of discrimination.



"The US, India, Israel and some other countries don't want to see this project succeed," said Baloch. "The Prime Minister should make sincere efforts to address the concerns of smaller provinces so CPEC can progress." JI's K-P chapter warned last week of leading a protest march from Peshawar to Islamabad if the western route is tampered with.

The JI also staged a rally later which passed through different areas of Hyderabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2016.