PESHAWAR: Political leaders at an all-parties’ conference called by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) on Thursday decided to convey their reservations about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Political leaders, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Fazlur Rahman of JUI-F, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao of Qaumi Watan Party, Mian Iftikhar Hussain of Awami National Party, Ajmal Wazir of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and several leaders of JUI-F converged at the JUI-F markaz in Peshawar to attend the APC.
It was decided in the conference that JUI-F will lead a team of representatives from other political parties in a day or two to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. While highlighting the importance of CPEC, Fazlur Rahman said that all the political parties of KP had serious reservations about the project. “The western route inaugurated by the prime minister is not according to the declaration at the APC convened by the PM on May 28 last year. It is demanded that that declaration should be implemented completely,” he said.
The JUI-F chief also urged the federal government to provide details about the timeline and locations of the economic or industrial zones that would be constructed under CPEC. “There are no indications about the railway, electricity and fibre optic cable and natural gas pipeline. Such ambiguities have changed our doubts about the federal government’s intentions into reality and proved that the Western route is just a road,” he added. Fazlur Rahman said that a mere four- or six-lane road will have no importance if the aforementioned projects were not provided alongside it. He stressed that the federal government should complete the economic corridor package on the Western route as well.
He demanded the federal government address the reservations of KP and other small provinces. “We are not against CPEC project. I assure that all political parties of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will support the federal government on the project, provided that KP gets its due right,” he added. He opined that the CPEC was a project of enormous importance that was destined to change the Pak-China friendship into a strong economic friendship, guaranteeing a positive change in the fate of Pakistan. In response to a question, Fazlur Rahman said they were democratic political parties and wanted to resolve the issue democratically.
DAILY TIMES.
YEMI.
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