The Balochistan Assembly on Thursday demanded the federal government to allocate funds for the development of western route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The provincial assembly session, which resumed with Acting Speaker Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo in chair, adopted a joint resolution with regard to funds allocation.
Deputy opposition leader Zamarak Achakzai tabled the resolution.
Addressing the feasibility of the resolution, Achakzai complained that despite the declaration of All Parties Conference (APC) and the prime minister’s announcement, funds have not been allocated for the western route of CPEC.
“Balochistan has to be the major beneficiary of CPEC,” Jan Muhammad Jamali, the former speaker said.
Members of the treasury and opposition benches demanded immediate allocation of funds for the western route and termed it “crucial for the province’s development”.
The western route, which starts from Gwadar and goes to Kashgar in China via Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, is being built on a priority basis and most of its sectors would be completed by the end of next year.
The CPEC is a 15-year project between Pakistan and China spanning 2015-2030, while the Western route is among the ‘Early Harvest Projects’ which have to be completed by 2018.
