Senate body seeks inclusive CPEC authority

A Senate standing committee sought equal representation of all the provinces in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority, expressing concerns on Wednesday that there was a sense of “deprivation” among the provinces about the CPEC projects.

A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development, chaired by Saleem Mandviwala of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), expressed its concerns, while discussing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

Senator Sherry Rehman of the PPP deplored the sense of “deprivation” among the provinces about the projects related to CPEC. She stressed that coordination with the provinces on CPEC projects was crucial.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on CPEC Khalid Mansoor, while sharing details of the CPEC deals made with the Chinese companies, maintained that provinces were involved in Joint Working Groups (JWGs).

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The SAPM assured that the provinces were being provided equal facilities under the current framework. Mandviwala stressed that the representatives of the provinces should also be included in the CPEC authority. “Why do you object to the due representation of provinces in the CPEC Authority?” he asked.
Rehman pointed out that representation was also necessary as the 18th Amendment devolved powers to the provinces in all spheres, including developmental projects. also stressed the need for having experts in the authority.

The SAPM replied that he would be able to inform the matter pertaining to the inclusion of six members of provinces after consulting with the Planning Ministry. Later, the committee sought objections from the CPEC Authority to the amendment bill.

The committee also discussed the Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) Bill, in which Senator Abdul Qadir had sought membership for one senator and one member of the National Assembly (MNA) each every province.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of the PPPA told the committee that the heads of parliament would be involved, but the inclusion of lawmakers in such institutions would lead to conflicts of interest. However, the committee approved the proposal of including parliamentarians in the authority.