Pakistan

Ignoring parliament on CPEC: PPP plans to launch protest against PM Nawaz

Party’s lawmakers say PM’s 11-member panel on CPEC has no legal position

Obaid Abbasi/sarfraz Memon January 16, 2016

Party’s lawmakers say PM’s 11-member panel on CPEC has no legal position. PHOTO: FILE

SUKKUR/ ISLAMABAD: Despite formation of a panel to oversee the proposed western route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is considering staging a protest against the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for not taking the parliament on board on the issue.

Prime Minister Nawaz on Friday constituted an 11-member committee to hold periodic consultations with the provinces over the CPEC – a multibillion dollar network of roads and rail links that will connect China to Arabian Sea through Pakistan’s Gwadar port.

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The committee, headed by the PM, includes chief ministers of all the four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan in addition to federal ministers of planning, water and power, railways, communications and the chairman of the parliamentary committee on the CPEC.

However, the PPP believes that it is more important for the prime minister to address the parliament on the issue as the committee has no legal position.

“The PPP is considering the options of protest in the next National Assembly session to press the PM to ensure his presence in the house over the issue,” the PPP MNA Imran Zafar Laghari told The Express Tribune.

The lawmaker said the ruling party is going to start a multibillion dollar project but the premier did not bother to utter a single word on it in the parliament.

“The National Assembly’s Leader of Opposition Khursheed Shah will chair a meeting on Monday before the session and a final decision will be taken about our course of action,” he said, adding that they would decide whether they should launch a protest inside or outside the parliament.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the PPP lawmaker Naveed Qamar said there is no constitutional position of the committee formed under the PM.

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“What’s a constitutional value of the committee where random political leaders were called,” he said, adding that the primer should take the parliamentarians into confidence. He said the PPP did not take part in the committee as it believes that the formal statement from the PM should come in the house.

The lawmaker stressed that the PM should come in the parliament as both the houses are in sessions and address the parliamentarian over the issue. “The party will definitely consider every option if the PM continues to ignore the parliament over the issue,” Qamar added.

Khursheed Shah urges PM to respect parliament

Expressing his reservations over the CPEC, the opposition leader Khursheed Shah also urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take the parliament into confidence over the mega project. “We requested the prime minister to come to the parliament to clear our concerns, but he has shown his reluctance to do so,” Shah said, while talking to media in Sukkur.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2016.

COMMENTS (7)

Kalim Marwat | 8 years ago | Reply It is not only PPP or PTI but the government most trusted allies like JUI-F , PML-N KPK and other nationalist parties in KP and Balochistan have raised their,s concern over CPEC. For God sake brothers of Punjab these businessman ruling party is sawing hate seeds for you just for a sake of saving their vote bank. One thing is pretty much sure that PML N is appearing to be a pure nationalist party only saving their ethnic vote while PPP proved to be federal party to some extent. Though its previous rule performance can be criticized.

Awaaz | 8 years ago | Reply @Azmat sb, please look at the ground realities first before giving remarks about insurgencies. Wester Route will take more time because there was no infrastructure in Baluchistan. If you have been there than you will understand that. That completion of 2 lane road is a triumph of government and will go a long long way in prosperity of the whole region. Using this route more material and equipment for further construction can easily be transported to even remote locations. Now, you quip that why is eastern route bring completed first or why is supposedly Punjab being given preference? Than again you are not focusing on the facts. PTI and PPP are playing a very very dangerous game, shame on them for raising the Punjab card when whole country's future is at stake.

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Saba Pathan | 8 years ago | Reply @azmat: The western route is far more dangerous. The eastern route also passes through KPK, but Imran Khan, CM KPK, PTI and their new found allies PPP are in bed with the enemy and you are too thick to realize it.

azmat | 8 years ago | Reply @faisal: its people like you who are pushing people like me (who have remained against the so called nationalist parties) start Punjab bashing. I am from KP but have spent most of my life in Punjab and have never believed the nationalistic rhetoric completely. But this case of CPEC and the con game being played in the background by the Punjab lead establishment , including the media groups and journalists is threatening the very existence of this country. The western route should have taken priority in any case because its 600 Km shorter, its as simple as that. There is no other rocket science to it. No hankie pankie is acceptable to the people of KP and Baluchistan. And i tell you honestly, they have managed to control insurgencies in Baluchistan but if it KP population resorts to an armed struggle,it will be uncontrollable because of the already porous border with Afghanistan and Afghans have made no secret of their intentions. So please, please please, give provinces their due share and my friend, do not defend every wrong step of the Punjab establishment for being a Punjabi. This is very important to the integrity of the country

fair | 8 years ago | Reply @faisal: don't switch idir hm odr tum theory, Punjab is in making to be sole Pakistan looking from your comments

NKAli | 8 years ago | Reply Vested parochial and medieval interests. PPP and the stone-age are two sides of the same coin. Salams

faisal | 8 years ago | Reply It is not a protest against Nawaz, its against Pakistan. Sorry, I don't see CPEC happening.

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