Take all stakeholders on board over China deals, PTI urges govt

Shah Mehmood Qureshi says party welcomes the MoUs signed between the two countries

ISLAMABAD: Barely a day after the Chinese president’s visit, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has come up with a demand to the government to take all stakeholders, political parties and provincial governments, on board with regard to the recently signed projects to have a national ownership.

“We request the government to take all political parties and provinces on board for national ownership of the projects which are being dubbed a game changer,” said PTI vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi at a press conference on Wednesday.

However, he made it clear that his party welcomes all the MoUs signed between the two countries. Pakistan and China had inked more than 50 agreements worth billions of dollars.

Qureshi expressed reservations on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, saying the provinces were not taken into confidence to build the multibillion economic corridor.

“Only CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif was present when the MoUs were signed,” he pointed out, adding that all political parties should have been taken on board when the deals were finalised.

The plan to build the corridor, he said, was not one party’s achievement but the project dates back to Gen Pervez Musharraf’s rule.

“The plan to build the economic corridor spans multiple governments,” the PTI vice-chairman said, adding, “Talks about the project were taking place when I was serving as a foreign minister in the Pakistan Peoples Party’s government and even during the Musharraf’s regime.”

Qureshi did not miss the opportunity to clarify the position of his party, saying it was wrong to blame the PTI for delay in Chinese president’s visit due to his party’s months-long sit-in in Islamabad. “It [got delayed] due to engagements of the Chinese president,” he maintained.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2015.