New CPEC route will not be allowed: Asfandyar

CHARSADDA: The chief of Awami National Party (ANP), Asfandyar Wali, on Wednesday said they would not allow to build the new route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project as they had not allowed to build the Kalabagh Dam (KBD). He vowed not to allow the federal government to change the route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) at any cost.
Speaking at a public meeting at the Charsadda Sports Stadium here, he said the execution of the project according to the original plan would help address the sense of deprivation among the smaller federating units. “But the federal government has changed the route of the project creating concerns among the people of the smaller provinces,” he added.
The nationalist leader said that China had developed the Xinjiang province and removed the sense of deprivation of the people and made an end to terrorism and extremism there. He said that the end to militancy in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) was also linked to development of the tribal region and addressing the reservations of the local people. “But the federal government has ignored the neglected areas in the mega project,” he added.
Asfandyar Wali warned that the change in the route of the project would have serious repercussions for the federation. He said that nationalist leaders were portrayed as traitors whenever they raised voice for the rights of the province. “We would not compromise on the rights of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces,” he added.
“We will not let the project materilised if the federation tried to usurp the rights of the smaller provinces,” he said. Rejecting the decision of announcement of results of the local government elections after 10 days of polls, Asfandyar Wali said ANP would not accept the results. “We would only accept the results announced by the presiding officers on the polling day,” he added. ANP general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain also spoke on the occasion.