Federal govt urged to honour APC pledges

Seminar on CPEC

PESHAWAR: Speakers at a seminar on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Saturday demanded the government to implement the decisions of the All Parties Conference held on May 28, 2015 and vowed not to allow anyone to snatch rights of Pakhtuns.

The seminar, organised by the Pakhtunkhwa Olasi Tehrik (PUT) at the Peshawar Press Club, was presided by its coordinator Said Alam Mahsud.

Secretary General of Awami National Party-Wali (ANP-W) Aurangzeb Kasi, Awami Workers Party (AWP) head Fanoos Gujar, provincial chief Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Nazriyati (JUI-N) Zubair Anjum, head of Mazdoor Kissan Party (MKP) Salar Amjad Ali, chairman of Muhaffiz Tehrik (MT) Malik Falak Niaz, and others addressed the event.

The participants rejected the letter sent by the federal government to provincial government regarding Western route of CPEC, saying it was a bid to deceive the provincial government and political parties and alleged that the prime minister had backed out of his pledges made in the previous meetings.

They said the letter about the Western corridor was important.

“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal verbally accepted all things but in written there is nothing,” said a speaker, adding that it seemed Nawaz Sharif is a prime minister of Punjab.

Ajmal Afridi quoted the letter stating that the location of industrial parks would be decided in consultation with the provinces, provision of allied facilities and infrastructure required for these industrial parks would be the responsibility of the federal and provincial governments. “The Western alignment will be constructed on priority basis, with a timeline of two years and 6 months. If required, the existing allocation for current financial year for this alignment worth Rs40 billion would be enhanced appropriately,” he added.

“This confirms that the Western route will be completed one and a half years after the completion of the eastern route, which is a clear violation of the national consensus of May 28,” Dr Said Alam Mahsud.

He added that he had no trust in the federal government for repeatedly deceiving the provincial government as well as other political parties despite assurance to political parties in the conferences. The seminar unanimously asked that nothing short of the nine components of corridor on Western route would be accepted.

It asked the provincial assembly not to allow the federal government to acquire land between Thakot and Havelian for CPEC till the corridor is not completed on Western route.