Economic corridor: K-P Assembly presses govt for western route assurance

CM Khattak asks centre to take provincial leaders into confidence

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkwa Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on Friday seeking assurance from the federal government that the western route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would be a part of the project and would also be given priority.

The provincial lawmakers want the centre to assure them the decision taken on the CPEC in the All Parties Conference would be acted upon. They also said they expect the project funds to be immediately released.

For the third consecutive sitting of the house, discussions revolved around the western route of CPEC. K-P Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak informed the house about his own discussion with the Chinese ambassador on the western route.

The federal government was asked to provide evidence that it had approved the demands of the provincial leaders. The assembly sought an increase in funds for the upgradation of the Indus Highway under CPEC and demanded two alternative routes besides the existing ones.

They demanded that the federal government form a joint committee of parliamentary leaders, under the chairmanship of K-P chief minister, to monitor progress on the project until its completion.

Taking the floor in the assembly, Khattak stated that Beijing and the federal government should sit with K-P representatives and take them into confidence over the western route.

He claimed that Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal had failed to convince them in his meeting at the K-P governor house.

Khattak stated that he had met the minister a couple of times but to no avail. “It is useless meeting him. He should not come to tell us stories,” he added.

The K-P chief minister asked the federal government to present documents to support its claims and clarify whether the western route has all the components, including fibre optics, railway lines, transmission lines, gas connections and security arrangement. “They have made false promises. The central route will be completed in two years and I can guarantee this because work is already under way on all roads of the route while, for the western route they haven’t even purchased the land,” he said.

Appraising the house over the meeting with the Chinese ambassador, Khattak said that when he asked the envoy if the western route was part of CPEC to which he (the ambassador) replied no.

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