QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a resolution to demand a due share in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), urging the federal government to constitute a national commission to settle what it termed the “injudicious distribution of projects and funds”.
The resolution was tabled by former Balochistan chief minister Nawab Aslam Raisani, and adopted unanimously by legislators from both treasury and opposition benches, demanding an equal share for the province.
“Balochistan’s current share under CPEC is only 4.5 per cent,” Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal said while commenting on the resolution. “If we don’t include Gwadar Port and HUBCO projects, then Balochistan’s share in CPEC is reduced to a meagre one percent,” Jam Kamal complained.
While talking about the feasibility of the resolution, Baloch said the “western route [of CPEC] has been completely ignored and all projects have been diverted towards the eastern route”.
“Balochistan has been ignored in the $62 billion [CPEC] project in terms of development schemes and allocation of funds,” read the resolution. Despite having a wide coastal belt and plenty of mineral resources, Balochistan has repeatedly been denied its due share, the BNP-M lawmaker said.
Baloch mentioned that 99 per cent investment was done with regards to industrial development on the eastern route, ignoring Balochistan.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal further complained that during the last five years the province was ignored by Islamabad and that only Rs300 billion out of the Rs5,000 billion were spent in Balochistan.
On the other hand, Raisani raised complaints about the transparency of the project and demanded that the provincial assembly should be taken into confidence regarding the CPEC-related agreements.
