ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came up with ‘concrete’ pledges and timeline for completion of western route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to save the project from landing in controversy.
In a meeting with leading political parties from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the PM announced a steering committee - with all the chief ministers and relevant ministers as its members - under his chair to monitor the progress on the project and remove irritants coming in its way.
Nawaz Sharif assured the political parties’ heads that the location of industrial parks would be decided in consultations with the provinces while provision of allied facilities and infrastructure required for these industrial parks would be the responsibility of the federal and respective provincial government as per their respective roles.
Informed sources said the PM asked the heads of political parties to avoid giving controversial statements about the project as it would be the economic game-changer for whole country and its benefits would not be confined to any province or area.
He assured the participants that the Western Route of CPEC would be constructed on priority with two-and-a-half-year timeline and it would be completed by mid-July 2018. He further assured that the initial allocation for its construction, which is Rs40 billion, will be enhanced appropriately.
The meeting was attended by JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman, ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, PkMAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, JI head Siraj-ul-Haq, KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, PPP’s Khanzada Khan, PML-Q leader Ajmal Wazir and QWP chief Aftab Sherpao.
The participants expressed their reservations in a frank manner and asked that after their failure to get their queries and concerns properly addressed by the federal government they were left with no choice but to hold all parties conference to get their concerns addressed.
A leader in attendance of the meeting informed that the prime minister was quite concerned about the project landing in controversy and requested the participants to help government evolve consensus on the project.
The participants shared the views with PM and said that none of them wanted to make it controversial and all what they wanted is to secure the rights and share of their people in this economic turnaround, he added.
The PM was appreciative of the spirit shown by the participants and said that government would share each and every thing related to CPEC with them as it would be for the whole nation and its benefits would not remain confined to any particular province or area.
Sources said the PM gave assurance to the leaders from KP, especially CM Perviaz Khattak, that the Western Route would initially be four-lane expressway but latter it would be expanded into six-lane limited access motorway for which early finalisation of land acquisition would be the responsibility of the KP government. However, funds for the land acquisition will be provided by the federal government.
In the light of the discussion which, according to sources, remained positive and constructive throughout the session it was decided that a steering committee under the chair of PM would be formed which would review the progress on the project every three months and also address the hiccups and irritants coming in its smooth execution.
The committee will include as members the chief ministers of all provinces; federal ministers for Planning, Development and Reforms, Water and Power, Railways, and Communications; and chairman of Parliamentary Committee on CPEC.
Besides the steering committee, a cell will be created in the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms for coordination and information sharing with the provinces; from time to time on need basis.
The meeting participants reaffirmed their complete support to the CPEC and agreed that the new institutional framework will be able to better accommodate the regional concerns in future.
Taking to media after the meeting, Shah Mahmood Qureshi stated that the suggestion to form the steering committee was given which has been accepted.
Pervaiz Khattak said that Orange Line Train is also a part of CPEC but it is not their priority.
JI Ameer Sirajul Haq said they wanted Punjab to progress however small provinces should also be given the chance to prosper.
JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman said that it was decided in the meeting that Western route would be given preference.
Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal affirmed that all the political parties have supported and endorsed the CPEC project.
Parliamentary Committee on CPEC Chairman Mushahid Hussain Syed and ANP central leader Afrasyab Khattak also termed the meeting as favourable for addressing the reservations over CPEC.
The CPEC is a 3,000-kilometer network of roads, railways and pipelines to transport oil and gas from Gwadar Port to Kashgar city, northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
Proposed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to Pakistan in May 2013, the CPEC will act as a bridge for the new Maritime Silk Route that envisages linking three billion people in Asia, Africa and Europe.
An official agreement on the corridor was signed between the two countries in May this year during President Xi Jinping's historic visit to Pakistan.