Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday inaugurated the western route of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) at Balochistan’s Zhob.
Addressing attendees at the inaugural ceremony, the premier urged all political forces to present a united front in order to eradicate the curse of terrorism from the country.
“I cannot do it alone,” PM Sharif emphasised.
The premier said that the project would open new vistas of development and prosperity in the region. “The country will progress after this project,” he said. “Pakistan’s progress will start from Balochistan.”
The prime minister emphasied that Balochistan’s development was his government’s top priority, and that the province had played a crucial role in the development of the country.
He also briefly referred to the progress made with India in the matter of bilateral negotiations. PM Nawaz thanked the Indian prime minister for visiting Pakistan. “It has been agreed that we will restart the dialogue between Pakistan and India,” he said.
The premier laid the foundation stone of two key projects – upgradation of the Zhob-Mughal Kot section of the Dera Ismail Khan-Qila Saifullah Highway (N-50) and the Qilla Saifullah-Waigam Rud Road section of the Multan-Dera Ghazi Khan-Qilla Saifullah Highway (N-70).
The Zhob-Mughal Kot Section is part of the western route of the CPEC which starts from Burhan on the Peshawar-Islamabad motorway (M-1), and after moving through DI Khan, Zhob, Quetta, Surab and Hoshab, ends at Gwadar.
The Zhob-Mughal Kot section is 81 km long and its upgradation will cost Rs 9 billion. It is expected to be completed by 2018. The Qilla Saifullah-Waigam Rud section is 128 km long and will cost around Rs 8 billion.
The prime minister was also briefed on the projects. Chairman National Highway Authority Shahid Ashraf Tarar while addressing the inauguration ceremony said motorways and expressways in Pakistan in the next three years will span lengths three times as long as the current length.
From Khunjerab to Gwadar, all areas will be connected by means of motorways, he said, adding that the routes would make it easier for traders to access markets.
Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Sanaullah Zehri said on the occasion that the project was a “positive stride” towards the country’s economic development. Alluding to recent controversies over the CPEC project, he added, “There has to be no negative propaganda against CPEC.”
Senator Hasil Bizenjo, meanwhile, said that had the development projects been completed in a timely manner in the past, there would have been long-sustained peace in the troubled province. “Poverty and unemployment are the underlying causes of terrorism,” he said.
JUI Chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman felt that the CPEC project was a matter of immense value, since it addressed basic issues in the province and would help pave the way for durable peace in the region. The JUI chief said that peace in Afghanistan was crucial for Pakistan. “The war-torn country provides access to resource-rich central asian states,” he added.
Mehmood Achakzai also stressed upon the necessity of smooth and transparent working relations with neighboring countries to make the Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI) pipeline project a success. He demanded that PM Sharif take all political forces in confidence regarding the CPEC project.
“We want to develop at all costs,” Mian Iftikhar of ANP said. But, while he felt the western route was an important step in the process of eliminating terrorism from the country, the port of Gwadar, he felt, belonged to Balochistan first.
“Gwadar first belongs to the Balochis, and then to Pakistan,” Iftikhar said.
The ceremony was attended by key party representatives and government officials, including JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazal ur Rehman, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) Secretary General Mushahid Hussain Syed, ANP Central General Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain Shah, National Security Adviser (NSA) Gen (r) Janjua, Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch, Federal Minister for Textile and Industries Abbas Khan Afridi and Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo.