Inspects Western route of Corridor; Mushahid says CPEC is a ‘Corridor of unity and prosperity for the Federation as it will build Infrastructure for Balochistan and KP on priority’
The Parliamentary Committee on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) inspected the Western route of the CPEC on Sunday while on a visit to Gwadar.
The Parliamentary Committee members led by CPEC Parliamentary Committee Chairman Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed toured the under-construction Western route on a military helicopter escorted by senior officials of the FWO and NHA, as well as the local commanders of the CPEC Special Security Division of the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps.
This was the first time that parliamentarians physically toured the various segments of the Western route of the CPEC, which starts from Gwadar and which will wind its way through Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), going up north via Gilgit-Baltistan to Kashgar in the Xinjiang province of China, a distance of approximately 2,400 km.
The Parliamentary Committee on CPEC toured three segments of the road spanning 870 km, including Tallar, Turbat and Hushab and saw the fast paced of development work being undertaken by the FWO and NHA, including a 1.5 km bridge constructed on the Kech River. They visited the M-8 section of the Western route from Gwadar-Hoshab and N-85 from Hoshab-Sohrab. They also visited 9 construction camps, and reviewed the pace of work they were told that 1.5 km of road was being constructed per day.
Speaking to media personnel, Senator Mushahid Hussain said that CPEC is a “Corridor that has become a vital factor of uniting the Federation of Pakistan with a focus on progress and prosperity of the smaller provinces, particularly Balochistan and KP, with a focus on less-developed regions”. He praised the FWO and NHA for their work in these areas, and said that “CPEC has opened new opportunities for development of remote areas of Pakistan by connecting them through roads”.
The senator said that CPEC is above any political party, province, person or government, as it is a strategic national project which will give priority to promoting development of the less developed regions of Balochistan, KP and Gilgit-Baltistan, while also benefiting Sindh, Punjab, FATA and Azad Kashmir.
He termed those martyred in the construction of the CPEC, 16 civilians and soldiers, as national heroes who are in the forefront of building a better tomorrow for the people of Pakistan. However, he said that since June 2015, there have been no such attacks as the law and order situation has improved with the construction of CPEC.
The Parliamentary Committee on CPEC delegation included Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch, Rana Afzal, Sardar Fateh Muhammed Hasnie, Senator Baz Muhammed Khan, Imran Leghari, Ghous Bux Mehar, Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo, Senator Lt Gen (r) Salahuddin Tirmzi and Shahji Gul Afridi, as well as Joint Secretary of National Assembly Khalid Mahmood.
