Chakdara Chitral route issue: JI announces launching protest drive against govt

TIMERGARA: The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter on Wednesday announced to launch agitation against the government for dropping the Chakdara Chitral route from China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

Speaking at a press conference at Ahya-ul-Uloom Balambat, the JI parliamentary leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and former senior minister Inayatullah Khan, former MNA Sahibzada Tariqullah and others also announced to host an all parties’ conference on the issue at Chakdara Fishing hut on August 8. The JI leaders said the issue would also be raised on the floors of both the houses of parliament and KP Assembly.

Inayatullah said the people of five districts of Malakand Division had the right to have the Chakdara Chitral route included in the CPEC project.

The JI leaders were of the view that the Chakdara-Chitral route was included in the CPEC project by the PML-N government in 2017 after a strong protest of the JI and other political parties. They alleged the PTI-led government was trying to deprive more than five million people of their right to have better road access. The speakers also criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan for his remarks about the JI leaders and said the CM had levelled baseless corruption allegations on the JI lawmakers. They said the JI former and sitting lawmakers presented themselves for accountability.The JI announced it would launch an agitation against the government for excluding the Chakdara Chitral route from the CPEC and its PSDP schemes. It also announced to move the apex court in that regard.