K-P police decline to provide security for Chinese engineers working on CPEC

They are working on Havelian-Thakot expressway being constructed

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police have refused to provide 200 policemen for the security of Chinese engineers working on the Havelian-Thakot Expressway being constructed under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“We have declined to provide them with these 200 policemen because the provincial government has strong reservations on CPEC projects,” a police official told The Express Tribune on Saturday.



He added the basic responsibility of security for those working on the megaproject lies with Pakistan Army who have been given funds in this regard.

The army could use their own personnel, private guards as well as ask for policemen to provide security to the Chinese engineers working on the projects.

Once completed, the Havelian-Thakot expressway will be a 120-kilometre road network. It is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed by 2018.

Previously, the federal government had asked the K-P police to provide 600 policemen for the Suki Kinari Hydropower project. The K-P police had then said they could not spare hundreds of men for this purpose. The police had instead suggested ex-servicemen be hired on a contract-basis provided their salaries are paid by the project management.

Work on the Suki Kinari project was expected to start in mid-2016. Later, the army was made responsible for the security and all funds were transferred to it.

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The project management initially agreed to hiring 600 ex-servicemen but the current situation is unclear as the arrival of the Chinese engineers was delayed due to inclement weather in the area.

Vital corridor

CPEC is an infrastructure development project. It mainly comprises roads and railway networks connecting China to the Gwadar seaport.

However, the project became a cause of conflict after its initially proposed route was changed by the Punjab government. The decision sparked widespread protest from Balochistan as well as K-P.



Both provinces have alleged Punjab was never part of the route. On the contrary, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government changed it to include Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s home province, Punjab, in the lucrative project.

It is often said the portion of CPEC in Punjab is much more developed as industrial estates, power generation plants and other sophisticated projects have been included in the part that runs through Punjab. On the other hand, CPEC projects for most parts of K-P and Balochistan have no more than just roads.

The Punjab government as well as the federal government have denied the allegations. However, all political parties in K-P are united against the federal government’s plans in this regard, making CPEC a burning issue these days.

Megaproject

On April 20, 2015, Pakistan and China signed an agreement to commence work on the $46 billion project.

In May 2015, the APC held in May last year was instrumental in developing national consensus on routes of the CPEC.

During the conference held in May, participants pressed the government to give priority to the western route. This route passes through some of the country’s hinterlands.

According to the participants. the route can help address poverty in these areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2016.