CPEC — still a lack of clarity

CPEC is the largest project undertaken by the state, and will have an impact on the lives of every individual

Considering the importance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for the future of the nation, there is a remarkable lack of clarity about some of its components. This is the largest project undertaken by the state, it will have an impact on the lives of every individual and the government is still havering about the western route that passes through Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Such was the irritation of the Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pervaiz Khattak, that he raised the matter at the All-Parties Conference on national security held on October 3. His argument was that the western route must be an integral part of the project, and it may come as a surprise to many, particularly the Chinese who are underwriting much of the capital infrastructure costs, that it is not already.

The CPEC is no less important to the Chinese than it is to Pakistan. The western route to the Chinese is in the short-to-medium term more important than the central and eastern routes, in that it directly links the port of Gwadar to the markets of southern China and Central Asia, and provides a shorter sea route for goods into China than the long way around through the South China Sea. It was reported that the PM had agreed in the past to give the western route priority but the government’s subsequent action — or inaction — suggests otherwise. The Chinese have in the recent past expressed frustration at the lack of urgency on the Pakistan side to any number of aspects of the CPEC. For their part the Chinese are far advanced with the construction of a fibre-optic internet line between Kashgar, Gwadar and Rawalpindi. The problem as ever is the ‘Punjab first’ mentality that dominates PML-N thinking. There are practical difficulties associated with the western route — lower traffic flows and security to name but two — but they are not insurmountable. An outbreak of holistic thinking by the government would be warmly welcomed.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2016.

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