Sindh

Legitimate concerns: CPEC not benefitting Sindh, claims analyst

Says province will benefit from development of Keti Bandar port in Thatta

Our Correspondent January 24, 2016

PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a political gimmick, said former federal secretary and analyst Fazalullah Qureshi while speaking at an interactive session jointly organised by the Strengthening Participatory Organisation and Sindh Economic Forum.

Qureshi said the project is being used by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for political purposes to benefit their stronghold constituencies.

He said Sindh's benefit from the CPEC lies with the construction of the Keti Bandar port in Thatta but unfortunately the provincial and federal governments have not even begun a feasibility study of the port yet.

Long road to development: ‘PTI creating hurdles in CPEC, delaying uplift’

Qureshi said Keti Bandar could serve as commercial port, whereas Gwadar would remain a strategic port in the future.

Speaking of CPEC-related projects in Sindh, Qureshi said, "The number of CPEC projects is being distorted, as already on-going Thar coal projects are being included in this package, which makes no sense as the Sindh government, along with its partners, is already working on it." He said the Sindh government should demand the construction of a new route starting from Arore, near Sukkur, going through Mirpurkhas up to Keti Bandar.

He said of the total $46 billion investment, $35 billion has been allocated for energy projects, mostly coal power projects, which would have serious climatic implications in Pakistan. According to Qureshi, the foggy weather in parts of Punjab is due to India's coal power projects. Ellahi Bux Baloch, Syed Mahmod Nawaz Shah, Hareef Chandio, Mushtaque Rajpar, Dr Shafqat Soomro and Dr Manzoor Isran also participated in the seminar.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2016.

COMMENTS (3)

Sarfaraz Abbasi | 8 years ago | Reply @omer: You failed to mention how would that help the local Sindhi-speaking people. Those projects are for supplying gas and coal for Punjab (under recently signed agreement between Russia and Pakistan). Both Qasim Power Plant and Sindh Engro Coal Mining & Power Project are known for hiring non-Sindhi management and the employees. Karachi-Peshawar motorway is harmful for people of Sindh by encourage mass flow of migrants to Sindh.

rizwan | 8 years ago | Reply CPEC western route or eastern route whatever, nothing crosses sindh, however still sindh has projected itself well and won more than 11 billion US$ projects.Thar coal long dormant for years has finally come to be explored with chinese CPEC funding. Pervez khattak needs to learn from sindh,instead of wasting time on routes he should take cue from sindh and propose viable projects which despite not being on any CPEC route have still got funding. its economic sense dears

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