Jamaat MNA wants Dir highway included in CPEC

DIR: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) parliamentary leader in National Assembly Sahibzada Tariqullah on Tuesday asked the federal government to make the national highway passing through the Malakand division part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

He said the inclusion of N-45 passing through Nowshera, Dir and Chitral district would not only strengthen the CPEC, but would also ensure access to the Central Asian Republics (CARs). He said making the highway part of the mega project would widen its scope.

“The inclusion of the highway in CPEC could be an alternative both to the Karakoram Highway and the route being used to access CARs via Afghanistan,” he maintained.  The JI leader hailing from Upper Dir district said that China also understood the importance of this route, urging the federal government to make efforts to incorporate it into CPEC.

Tariqullah said the highway was safe and secure and it would strengthen CPEC as it would not be dependent on one route. He pointed out that KKH, the approved CEPC route, was considered vulnerable as it remained closed to traffic twice or thrice a year due to heavy snowfall and recurring landslides. The MNA said that the KKH was also prone to landslides and floods. “These factors often cause suspension of traffic on KKH,” he argued.