Hazara route: Western corridor must have all facilities, says CM

The CM said the provincial government can and would construct roads using its own resources

PESHAWAR:

Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has said he will allow the construction of roads under China Pakistan Economic Corridor in Hazara Division as well as the rest of the western route. However, his statement came with a caveat – Khattak said provided the western corridor has all the facilities which the central route will have.

According to a handout issued on Wednesday, Khattak said the construction of roads has never been a problem. The provincial government can and would construct roads using its own resources, he was quoted as saying.

The CM was talking to elected representatives from Hazara Division which included Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, Yousaf Ayub Khan, Qalander Lodhhi, MNA Dr Azhar Jadoon and others. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected in Hazara on Thursday (today) where he will hold a public rally in Mansehra.

Khattak said the Centre reneged on its word and there was nothing for the people of Hazara and rest of the province but a mere road. If the federal government ignored the collective voice of the people, the provincial government would join the people in a mass-scale demonstration.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2016.