PESHAWAR: Representatives of political parties at a seminar here on Saturday urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to fulfil his commitments made during the multi-party conferences on the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor western route and warned the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan would strongly resist any decision against their interests.

The seminar was held under the aegis of the Pakhtunkhwa Olashi Tehreek at the Peshawar Press Club on Saturday.

Among the speakers were ANP-Wali central general secretary Aurangzeb Kasi, Awami Workers Party chairman Fanoos Gujar, JUI-Nazriati provincial chairman Zubair Anjum, Mazdoor Kisan Party leader Salar Amjad Ali, Muhafiz Tehreek chairman Malik Falak Niaz, Muslim League women wing chairperson Rubina Shaheen, and Dr Amjad Afridi.

Earlier, Pakhtunkhwa Olasi Tehreek chairman Dr Said Alam Mehsud briefed participants about the latest situation about the CEPEC and the government’s ‘vague’ policy on the corridor’s western route.

He said Pakhtuns disowned the federal government’s letter to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government regarding the CPEC’s western corridor as it was just an attempt to deceive the provincial government.

Dr Mehsud said he had no trust in the federal government as it had repeatedly deceived the provincial government and political parties on the CPEC project.

He warned if the next federal budget didn’t have funds for the development of the components of the CPEC’s western route, his movement along with political parties would give a call for agitation.

“We don’t need just a road. Instead, we need a complete economic corridor,” he said.

Aurangzeb Kasi said Nawaz Sharif seemed to be the prime minister of Punjab and not of Pakistan as his government was denying Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan the basic rights.

He said the two small provinces in question had suffered a lot due to militancy and therefore, they deserved full attention on part of the federal government.

Other speakers demanded that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ensure the implementation of the decisions of the multi-party conferences held on May 28, 2015, and Jan 15, 2016, on various components of the CPEC’s western corridor and said they won’t allow anyone to snatch the rights of Pakhtuns.

They said political parties were united to protect the rights of Pakhtuns.

The speakers said the federal government had assured the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of the western route’s development lately but was silent on the promise of creating fiber optic network, laying railway track and gas and oil pipelines, setting up industrial zone and motorway along the corridor in the province.

The participants later unanimously concluded that nothing short of the nine components of the CPEC’s western route would be accepted to Pakhtuns.

They also recommended the provincial assembly not to allow the federal government to acquire land between Thakot and Havelian for the CPEC project until the development of the promised components on the corridor’s western route.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2016