CM announces to hold another APC on CPEC

Seeks written assurance from Centre

NOWSHERA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Saturday accused the federal government of deceiving the provincial government on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and announced to hold another all parties conference (APC) to discuss the issue and adopt a joint stance.

He was talking to reporters after addressing a public meeting in Nowshera Kalan here. The chief minister said the dispatched reply of the federal government to the letter of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government regarding CPEC was disappointing.

He said the letter has not mentioned the pledges made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

He said the letter merely mentioned the construction of a road under the project in the province and had nothing else. “There is no mention of construction of the Western route of the project, provision of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), fiber optic cables, railway lines or other facilities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the fortune changer project in the letter,” he added.

“We don’t need roads from the Centre but want a route with all the facilities being provided to the central route of the project,” he said.

Pervez Khattak said the provincial government would soon call another APC and put before the leaders of all the political parties reply of the federal government. “We are deceived. The federal government is only giving us hollow assurances. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government didn’t believe in verbal assurances. We want our province due share in the multi-billion dollars economic project,” he said.

He added the stance of the provincial government regarding the CPEC was crystal clear. “We would not budge from our principled stance and not compromise on the rights of the province,” he said.

The chief minister said the provincial government would not allow the passage of the road for the CPEC through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa if the federal government didn’t address the province’s reservations regarding the project.

On the occasion, several councillors belonging to other parties announced joining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation Mian Jamsheduddin Kakakhel, District Nazim Liaqat Khattak, naib nazim Ashfaq Ahmad Khan and others also spoke on the occasion.