From China to Gwadar: ‘K-P should be part of the trade route’

Sherpao threatens to launch protest campaign if central government neglects the province.

SWABI: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmed Sherpao has threatened to launch a protest campaign if the central government neglects the southern districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the China Corridor Trade Plan which envisages linking China to Gwadar.

Addressing a news conference in Swabi on Saturday, Sherpao said China has included K-P’s southern districts like DI Khan in the road and train project which would link China to Gwadar and open ways for trade with Central Asia.

However, the central and Punjab governments want the road and train track to pass from Hasan Abdal to Lahore and then to Multan from where they want it to be linked to Gwadar, he claimed. Sherpao said diverting the route from K-P would ignore the province in the process of development.

“Just like Punjab and all the other provinces, K-P too is a part of the federation. Therefore, such a bias against the province would not be tolerated.”

Endeavours for settlement

He urged Imran Khan and the central government to resolve their issues through negotiation and stop the protests as they are damaging the economy of the country. Sherpao said businesses in markets along with traffic come to a standstill due to these protests which have slowed down the pace of development in the country.

He said QWP welcomes the government’s decision regarding repatriating the displaced people and said the government should make a proper plan to settle them back in their respective areas.

Sherpao also talked about the local government polls and said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government had promised to conduct them within 90 days of their government but they have not done so yet. For this he blamed the K-P chief minister and MPAs who, he said, do not want to hold the polls as they wish to keep the power to themselves.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2014.