MARDAN: Speakers at a seminar here on Monday said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project was changed into ‘China-Punjab economic corridor’ project owing to the wrong policies of the PML-N government.

They said that any change in the original route of CPEC project would severely harm national unity and harmony.

The seminar was held at Mardan Chamber of Commerce and Industry which was attended by Dr Said Alam Mehsud, Iqbal Khan Hoti, Ajmal Afridi, Faiz Mohammad and scores of members of trading community and civil society.

On the occasion, Dr Said Alam gave a detailed briefing to the participants of the seminar about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project with the help of maps and drawings.

Speakers say govt has changed the project into ‘China-Punjab economic corridor’

He said that the project with different routes was presented to the then president retired General Pervaz Musharaf during his tenure and later both the countries agreed upon the western route of CPEC when Asaf Ali Zardari was president of Pakistan.

Dr Said Alam said that the western route passing mostly through the backward areas of Zob, Quetta, Dera Ismail Khan and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkwha and Balochistan provinces was mentioned in the original plan of the project.

However, he said, Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif after coming into power as a result of 2013 general elections changed the original route of the project just to benefit Lahore, Faisalabad and other cities of Punjab.

Dr Said Alam said that the PML-N government deprived the backward and militancy-hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan of the benefits of the project by changing its route.

Other panelists, who spoke on the on occasion, said that any change in the original route of CPEC project would severely harm national unity and harmony.

They said that federal government convened an All-Party Conference to remove reservations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces about the routes of CPEC project and the conference was concluded after a consensus was developed among the participants that the western routes would be built and developed first on priority basis.

They asked the federal government to ensure execution of the original plan of the project. They said that only a consensus among the provinces could help the country to benefit more from the project. “It is the responsibility of the federal government to take all provinces on board on the issue before formally issuing an official map of the CPEC routes,” they added.

The panelists said that China faced extremist movements in its undeveloped parts adjoining Pakistan and through the CPEC project it wanted to develop those backward areas.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2015