The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has alleged that the federal government plans to deprive KP of its due rights in China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) despite its all announcements and commitments that were made earlier.
Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has decided to stage widespread protest against the federal government and said that every relevant forum would be knocked to protect the rights of the province. He added that all parliamentary parties of KP Assembly would be taken on board for this unprecedented protest campaign and also warned that they will withdraw cooperation being extended for executing CPEC project until reservations are not removed. He said that the support withdrawal actions by KP government might also include stopping of the land acquisition process for the KP portion of the project.
The decision was taken at a meeting held at CM Secretariat on Wednesday with Khattak in the chair.
Among others the meeting was also attended by the Speaker KP Assembly, Asad Qaiser, Minister for Mineral Development, Aneesa Zeb Tahirkheli, the Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Hamad Awais Agha, Chairman of the Strategic Planning Unit of the CM Secretariat Sahibzada Muhammad Saeed, leader of KP Ulasi Tehrik Dr. Said Alam Mahsood and Tariq Afghan Advocate and other concerned officers.
Dr. Said Alam Mahsood disclosed that federal government had allocated a share of 1.4% for KP and 80.4% to Punjab of the total budget allocation of Rs.359 billion for the years 2015-17.The said KP share would be spent only on the hydro power project of Suki Kinari in district Mansehra.
The six key components of CPEC had also been changed in favour of Punjab and the Dera Ismail Khan–Mianwali-Burhan link of the western route was also missing in the latest map of CPEC route which was kept a secret. It was also found that Mianwali was being linked with Islamabad through another planned road at a cost of Rs.10 billion under public sector development program.
According to the Planning Commission of Pakistan documents and sources, Dr. Mahsood, explained that the total cost of CPEC was $ 145 billion which would be given as a loan to Pakistan while the promised 500 billion USD Chinese investments would not be made before2024 and only at the start and end of the corridor.
It was also discovered that Rs.95 billion (51.35%) of the total Rs.185 billion budget earmarked for the current year for the motorway project of the corridor would be spent for the Eastern Route while the remaining 48.65% budget will be utilized for connecting Lahore with Gwadar and Karakurram Highway. With reference to the monographic study of the roads and maps of the federal government the Metro Bus and underground fast track Railways Project had also been incorporated into CPEC which will link Rawalpindi with Karachi through Gujranwala, Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad, thus totally excluding KPK and Baluchistan.
Khattak recalled that a national consensus was evolved when KP government had voiced against the usurpation of the province’s rights in respect of CPEC and it was assured publically by the federal government that all provinces will get equal share in CPEC projects and the western route will not only be included in the project but it would also be built on priority bases.
However, Khattak said that final decision in this regard will be taken after consultation with the parliamentary parties