Taking CPEC to court will be damaging for KP

ISLAMABAD: As KP government announced to move court over alleged non-implementation of promises by the federal government on CPEC’s western route, Federal Minister Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal cautioned the PTI-led provincial set-up arguing that the course will only result in flight of investment and it will also be damaging for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

“I want to tell them that moving court on such issues results in flight of foreign direct investment. The investorsdon’t see such action and course as friendly and conducive. It will be damaging for the CPEC,” said the minister, who is also planning czar of the PML-N government as well as anchorperson for CPEC.

“Regions around the world solicit investment. Even the Punjab Chief Minister had to take several trips to China to woo investment. This is the course KP chief minister should also undertake,” Ahsan

Iqbal argued while talking to The News, “I can take the KP chief minister and ministers to the actual work site to show them that we are completing the western route in letter and spirit. So they should not sit in Peshawar and lodge complaints all the time.”

The minister said he was ready to reach Peshawar and address concerns of the provincial government on a notice of 24 hours, but wants to emphasise at the same time, that the controversy they were trying to prop up was just a political gimmick at a time when their recent political agitation fizzled out.

“Non performance of PTI’s KP government whereby they could not bring about any significant development for three and half years, has led them to the present state of denial, and take this escape route,” he added. “I want to remind the Chief Minister KP about his speech in the August 29 CPEC summit whereby he had endorsed and expressed satisfaction over the implementation of western route,” Ahsan Iqbal recalled.

KP government’s spokesperson Mushtaq Ghani said on Sunday the Speaker of KP Assembly Asad Qaiser will move Peshawar High Court against non-implementation of CPEC western route commitments by the federal government. “Our province has not been given its due share for CPEC western route. We have not been provided with any documents regarding CPEC. So speaker assembly will move court on behalf of the province as per mandate given by parliamentary leaders,” he said.

The $46 billion plus CPEC projects slated to be completed till 2030 (around 10,000 MW energy and some major road infrastructure project to be completed by 2018-19) were inaugurated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in early 2015 as soon as PTI announced to end its 126 days long sit-in at D Chowk Islamabad. Infact, Chinese President’s earlier scheduled visit to Pakistan in Nov-Dec 2014 had to be postponed due to political uncertainty and sit-in by PTI and PAT from August 14 till end of December the same year. Politically, PML-N, the ruling party contends that the PTI wants to dislodge its central government in order to deprive it from taking credit for completion of some key energy and infrastructure projects much before the scheduled 2018 elections. PTI argues that the PML-N and Sharif want to avail undue political advantage from the project by concentrating the major chunk of the projects in Punjab province where it is ruling for the last 8 years, consecutively.

Following the landmark visit of President Xi Jinping, an apex Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) set up by Pakistan and China for long term planning of the whole project. Five meeting of JCC have been held so far, and 4 joint working groups operate under JCC namely long term planning, energy, transportation infrastructure, and Gwadar port. A large chunk of the CPEC (around $ 30 billion) has been fixed for energy, and rest for rail and road infrastructure etc. Under the CPEC framework, both sides have earmarked 16 projects with a capacity of 10,400 MW to be completed by early 2018, as well as 8 actively promoted long term projects. But the real bone of contention between some political elements based in KP-Balochistan and the federal government is the western route of CPEC. PTI KP government alleges that the Sharif led government is giving preferential treatment to the eastern route stretching along Punjab and Sindh provinces.

And attaches far less importance to the western route which runs through KP and Balochistan upto Gwadar port. The federal government denies such charges, and says it is giving due importance to both the routes of CPEC which are part of the North to South corridor that starts from the Chinese border and stretches till Gwadar port. The CPEC transportation model envisions that existing road network be used in the beginning and develop missing connections first with easiest one priority basis. Minister for Planning contends that western route of CPEC would be completed by 2018, a year ahead of eastern route.

Ahsan Iqbal argues that KP Chief Minister didn’t show any interest in CPEC in the first few months of launch of projects as he would be contended by sending only a parliamentary secretary in the apex Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) set up by Pakistan and China for long term planning of the whole project. Lately, the KP government, realized CPEC’s importance, he added.

Five meeting of JCC have been held so far. And 4 joint working groups operate under JCC namely long term planning, energy, transportation infrastructure, and Gwadar port.  “We have completed the 650 kilometer Gwadar-Quetta road link (part of western route) two months ahead of its completion time. This is for the first in the 70 years long history of this country that such a route is fully functional,” the minister contended.

“The APC on May 28 had decided to include Dera Ismail Khan-Burhan 400-450 kilometer Road as part of western route. So we completed feasibility and design within 6 months and awarded the contract, and the same will be completed till 2018. While the eastern route will be completed till 2019”. “Similarly we have completed designing of around 150 kilometer Kohat-Jhand main link road. And work is under way on Quetta-Dera Ismail khan section,” Ahsan Iqbal informed.

On complaints of the provincial government regarding no movement on rest of CPEC infrastructure including economic zones, industrial parks, the minister said he had asked each of the provincial government to decide one area for economic zones from the earlier 5-7 they had proposed. “The provincial government would have to materialize infrastructure, investments in the respective zones, and the federal government will only facilitate,” he contended. ‘But before all this to materialize we have to have infrastructure and energy issues resolved as no investor or businessman would vouch for areas where there is no basic infrastructure,” he added. “We are going to hold in the mid of this month a meeting of industrial cooperation with China group and provinces will be asked to pin point their respective economic/industrial zones locations and goals”, the minister added.