CPEC’s western route: Protests may erupt over unkept promises

SWABI: Authorities in the province on Sunday warned of imminent protests across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa if the federal government failed to deliver on its promises on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The warning was issued by K-P Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser during a visit to Zaida village in Swabi district, which is on the western route of the CPEC.

He said: “We have filed a writ (petition) in the court against the federal government for not initiating work on the western route of CEPC. If the federal government persists in its inaction, we will start a series of protests under the patronage of the PTI and chief minister in all districts of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as well as in the provincial capital soon,” Qaiser said.

“We consider this to be an assault on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s economic  interests … The PTI-led government will never tolerate this state of affairs to linger on … We will welcome other parties if they support us in this noble cause,” he said.

“We are not against the CEPC … We demand due rights of our province,” he said, adding that if there was a need, protests would continue in front of the parliament.

“We have chalked out our strategy in this regard,” he said.

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