KPCCI President Fawad Ishaq said the Chinese proposed the 2,395km-long original route to enable progress in lesser-developed areas. PHOTO: ONLINE
Unwilling to tolerate changes made to the Gwadar-Kashgar trade corridor route, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KPCCI) said the new r0ute for the project would cause further deterioration in underdeveloped areas instead of development.
Speaking to the media at the Peshawar Press Club during guest hour, KPCCI President Fawad Ishaq said the Chinese proposed the 2,395km-long original route to enable progress in lesser-developed areas.
“The plan was finalised around three years ago, but now the federal government, particularly Nawaz Sharif, is revisiting the proposed route which will not be tolerated at any cost,” Ishaq said. He stressed smaller provinces would fall into a further state of disarray.
Turning his attention to K-P, he pointed out the province was already at the forefront of fighting terrorism and the government should immediately announce an industrial zone and housing society along Motorway-1 (M-1). He also demanded that industries be exempt from income tax for five years. Ishaq added a relief package had been announced by the previous Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led federal government, but the bureaucracy was creating hurdles.
Replying to a question, the chamber’s president said the provincial government should realise the importance of the trade corridor with China and should take action against the proposed route change. He accused the K-P regime of being least interested in a corridor which could bring an “industrial revolution” to the province.
He said the original route was designed to start from Kashgar and go onto Abbottabad and Mansehra. From there on, it would travel along Mianwali, DI Khan, Muzaffargarh, Zhob, Quetta and Panjgur before culminating in Gwadar. However, under the newly-mapped out path, it would start in Kashgar but miss many parts of K-P before heading for the Lahore Motorway and onto Multan, Hassanabdal and parts of Sindh before reaching its final destination in Gwadar.
Talking about the energy crisis and its impact on the industry in K-P, Ishaq said the total consumption of electricity was just 180 megawatts and could be provided without the government having to conduct load-shedding. He claimed around 700 industries were forced to shut down and not a single factory was established in the province after 2008.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 4th, 2015.
COMMENTS (13)
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@Zain: Mr. Zain, If its touching Lahore or not...the point is its un-necessarily accomodating Punjab when nature has not promised this advantage to it. Secondly, the map which you have shared is anti Pakistan just like your approach. Becasue, if its a map of official document, then Kashmir is always shown by Pakistani Govt. as Azad Kashmir and Indian Held Kashmir not the way your document shows as "Disputed Territory".
If this route is altered and executed by Pakistan Muslim League (Punjab), The KP and Baluchistan should immediatly separate from Pakistan making a new country comprising of KP and Balochistan. Together we will be invincible, prosperous and enmity less with our neighbours. Enough is enough
This attitude of Punjab oriented policies can not be tolerated! Alienation of KP people will worsen the already worst situation of Pakistan!
@Arsalan... No we don't we are enough ourselves for that!!
Coming to original article. I think we need to stay connected with original route and then create more routes from Pakistan's Industrial Zones and Cities to connect to Kashgar-Gawadar Also Known As Pak-China Highway. The more roads we will develop the better it is for the country and for the local population and businesses.
We certainly need developments in Balochistan and KPK. I think this idea to have industrial zone in KPK is a good idea similar zones should be developed in Balochistan where the feasibility is so the provincial population benefits them. Similarly these zones needs to be established in underdeveloped Punjab districts such as Mianwali, Bhakkar, Bhalwalpur, DG Khan and Northern Sindh's Jacobabad, Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur. In Southern Sindh districts of Badin, Thatta, Tharparkar, Saanwal and many new smaller districts.
In Sindh... Bilawal Zardari needs to replace his father as party chief and then his father's incompetent cronies who have destroyed PPP, Sindh and Pakistan. To achieve economic prosperity Sindh government needs competent officials-- non-NRO bureaucrats. Similarly in other provinces we need competent people. Specially FATA either needs to be in KPK or a new province and should be in mainstream administration. They can export....popy seeds for now but later on there should be Ordanance facotry or Military industrial complex so we can make more arms and amunition...in inviting Russia and China.
Do we need any outside force to break Pakistan then just by reading above comments?
@Peshawar wala: Don't pretend to be Peshawar Wala. Moreover, the security situation is worst everywhere. By the way the route passes through secure areas of KPK, so no such excuse is justifiable.
@Chachoo: Yes; you are the Chacha of Pakistan you may say or do anything you want. Do not allow nephews ro become your Chacha; this is the strategy for losing East Pakistan and wait for time when you will become the Chacha of your village only.
A Peshawary.
@Peshawar wala: Are u Peshawar Wala or Lahoria? Yes; KPK government is doing nothing; it is not the government who is doing anything for your of existence, rather it is the a commercial body talking for people's right to have access to business opportunities and to make Haripur, Mardan, Mingora, Bannu, DIK, Kohat, Nowshera, Sakhakot etc like Wazirabad, Sialkot, Gugranwala. Punjabi's claim major contribution to government exchequer; why should not they as their might of being the biggest province always influence and turn the policies of benefit to other provinces in their interest.
It is not the matter of who is doing what? What are we doing for ourselves? Answer is nothing except criticizing ourselves.
A Peshawary
The new route is a lot longer than the previous shorter one, Nawaz government only wants development in Punjab that is why they have bypassed KPK & Sindh!!
Did these guys ever support this project ever?
Well, they have extremists who shoot at landing planes. K-P Govt. did nothing. The extremists shot and blew up APS the K-P Govt had no intelligence about it OR did nothing. They blew up a Church in Peshawar, the K-P Govt. did nothing. One month later they blew a bus transporting Govt. employees, near Peshawar.more than 50 killed. The K-P Govt. did nothing. They blew up a restaurant full of Shias in Qissa Khwani Bazaar the K-P Govt. did nothing. They fire rockets at factories in industrial parks from FATA, if they don't pay bhatta. The K-P Govt. does nothing. Most factories closed and moved to Dubai. or other parts of the country. And they want the The Highway to go through K-P??..Balochistan is a wild place. Nobody knows what is going on there. And they want the Highway to go through Balochistan ??
Someone should tell these businessmen from KP that the purpose of this Economic Corridor is not to build some Road for China and give them every incentive. It is not about giving employment to truckers only and collecting the Toll tax. Also do they know that Lahore-Karachi Motorway is a part of this project and by shelving that route there will no one to finance Motorway project to Karachi. It is about connecting the Economic regions of Pakistan with China as well. In any Economic corridor connection with the existing industrial hubs is very important. Punjab and Sindh produce 90 percent of GDP and both of these region must be in close proximity to the roads to benefit from it. Faisalabad, Multan, Lahore, Sialkot, Gujrat are industrial hubs and just like Karachi then need the access to the port as well. Also it seems that some nationalists just want to bye pass Punjab irrespective of any long term planning at all. They are advocating Shortest route for China but not the route to Pakistani Industrial hubs?.
KPCCI - like all others relying on forwarded emails - can't even get basics right. The 'altered route' is the route of the initial stages of the PCEC being connected to the Karachi-Lahore Motorway but not the PCEC itself. The route of the PCEC does not touch Lahore at any point. It goes along Darya Khan - Rajanpur - Jacobabad - Khuzdar, meeting M-8 for Gwadar. It can be seen in this official document. Link.