Centre deceived KP on CPEC: Khattak

Administers oath to Peshawar Press Club office-bearers

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Thursday said the federal government deceived the provincial government over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project.

Addressing as chief guest at the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected office-bearers of the Peshawar Press Club, he said that during a recent meeting the Chinese ambassador in Pakistan had informed him that the corridor did not include the western route that traverses various underdeveloped areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.

“The statement of the Chinese envoy once again created confusion as it showed that the federal government had kept the provincial government in the dark about the trade corridor,” he said. He added that the Khyber Pakhtunkwha government would raise the issue with Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who was supposed to visit Peshawar soon, and others.

The chief minister said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)-led government was not against the CPEC’s eastern route that passes through Punjab as they wished that province well. However, he said they would not tolerate any injustice with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“We don’t need a plain road merely but demand all components including industrial zones, fiber optic lines, and energy units as part of the economic corridor,” he stressed. He warned that the provincial government would take extreme steps if the western route was not linked with developmental projects.

The chief minister also criticised the federal government for not releasing the share of the net hydel profit to the province and said it caused budget deficit in the current financial year.

“The federal government has to pay an amount of Rs120 billion as arrears in net hydel profit to the province,” the chief minister added.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senior Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Inayatullah Khan, Minister for Public Health Engineering Shah Farman, Advisor to Chief Minister on Information Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, Peshawar District Nazim Asim Khan, Naib Nazim Syed Qasim Ali Shah, foreign diplomats including Consul General of Afghanistan Abdullah Waheed Poyan, Consul General of Iran Mohammad B Beigi, honorary consul general of Japan in Peshawar Nawabzada Fazal Karim Afridi, senior officials, and members of journalist community attended the event. 

Pervez Khattak asked the federal government to fulfill its commitments and give due share to KP and other under-developed areas under CPEC project.

He said his government had fully implemented the reforms agenda and the change would bring transparency, fairness, accountability, and improvement in the governance system.

The chief minister said the KP government had zero-tolerance for corruption. He said there were some people who wanted status-quo and did not support the agenda of change of the provincial government. “These people have gone to court against our reforms agenda in hospitals and accountability process. The independent judiciary gave verdict in our favour and we are determined to implement the reforms,” he maintained.

He said development did not mean construction of roads, buildings or flyovers only as far more important was bringing reforms in the institutions. He said the provincial government was spending funds on welfare of people and claimed that the change was visible in police, health, education, revenue and other departments.

Pervez Khattak said the KP government had unveiled an industrial policy to cope with growing unemployment and would extend facilities to investors. He said they would not disappoint the younger generation, who had voted the PTI to power.

He said his government would take all possible steps for amicable resolution of the journalists’ problems concerning their housing, wages and working conditions. He urged the media to do constructive criticism and guide the government.

Mushtaq Ghani said media had played significant role in highlighting issues of people, and the government welcomed positive and constructive criticism leading to resolution of problems. 

Peshawar Press Club President Syed Bukhar Shah highlighted the difficulties facing the journalists and described Pervez Khattak as a journalist-friendly chief minister for his efforts to solve their problems.

Earlier, the chief minister administered oath to the newly elected office-bearers of the Peshawar Press Club. He also distributed souvenirs among the diplomats and prominent figures on the occasion.