Reservations over CPEC expressed in BNP-M’s APC in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Sunday ruled out success of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) without justice and peace in Pakistan.

“You’ll have to do justice to run Pakistan’s affairs successfully,” he said, adding injustice gives birth to hatred which becomes the main cause of conflicts leading to wars.

He was speaking at the All Parties Conference (APC), convened here under Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal with an aim to evolve a political consensus on issues relating to the CPEC.

Achakzai warned that situation around Pakistan has turned worrisome and the country he added had very limited time.

He said the US, India and Iran have collaborated to build Chabahar port and its lights can be seen from Gwadar port.

Achakzai termed democracy as the cure to all ills being faced by the country.

The APC was attended by Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak, Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI-F) head Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) chief Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, PPP senior leader Farhatullah Babar, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Liaqat Baloch, PML-N leader Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Deputy Chairman Senate and JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, JUI-F’s Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, PML-Q leader Mushahid Hussain, ANP leader Mian Iftikhar Ahmed, and others.

Pervez Khattak

Speaking at the APC, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak said they support the CPEC as it was a project of prosperity.

He said KP and Balochistan were backward provinces and solid steps should be taken to end their deprivations. Khattak rejected the allegations of harming the project.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman called for a Prime Minister chaired APC to take up the issues pertaining to Balochistan and its port city Gwadar.

He said PM Nawaz Sharif himself had expressed his intention to hold an APC on Balochistan.

The JUI-F chief said how strange is it that ‘we have to face severe criticism for demanding the rights enshrined in the Constitution’.

Raja Zafrul Haq

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Raja Zafrul Haq said a delegation headed by BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal will meet with the Prime Minister. He said the western route of the CPEC will be given preference and it will be built first.

He said today nobody said the CPEC was not in the interest of Pakistan.

Sardar Akhtar Mengal had earlier claimed that agreements and MoUs under the CPEC were being concealed, adding that without Gwadar there will be no CPEC and Chinese investment.

Talking to media persons at the residence of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the BNP leader said his party was sensing the lack of transparency in CPEC. “Maps and agreements (under CPEC) are being hidden,” he added.

He said ‘what is the province, with Gwadar its port city, getting out of the CPEC?’ 

Akhtar Mengal said necessities should be given preference over facilities.

He said Gwadar has been without potable water, adding, instead of the Orange Line bus project, the government should provide water to the port city of Balochistan. 

Maulana Fazlur Rehman on the occasion said doubts of the stakeholders must be addressed.