KP govt moves PHC against Centre

CPEC’s western route

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Monday filed a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) seeking direction to the federal government for implementation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s commitments about the western route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The Speaker, who belongs to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), moved the PHC so that it could issue directions to the prime minister to honour the pledges made by him at the All Parties Conference (APC) in Islamabad on CPEC.

After filing the petition, Asad Qaiser told reporters that they would go to any extent if due share was not given to the province in the CPEC.He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government didn’t want a delay in the implementation of CPEC.

He was flanked by Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Muhammad Atif, Health Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai and Public Health Engineering Minister Shah Farman.

“The prime minister wants to politicise CPEC. The federal government didn’t provide funds for the western route of the CPEC and funds for the western route of the CPEC and also changed its original map,” Asad Qaiser alleged.

He added that the KP government would pursue every avenue to secure the rights of the province. “We will not hesitate to stage another protest sit-in in Islamabad for our cause,” he warned.

In the 10-page writ petition, filed by Speaker Asad Qaiser through senior lawyer Qazi Muhammad Anwar, it was stated that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had reservations about the non-implementation of the commitment of the prime minister.

It noted that the prime minister had promised at the APC in Islamabad on May 28, 2015 that the western route with industrial zones, highways, motorways, railway lines, and other facilities would be completed on priority basis.

The prime minister through Secretary to prime minister, federation of Pakistan through President of Pakistan, secretary Planning, Development and Reforms, secretary Communication, chairman of National Highway Authority (NHA), secretary Railways and secretary Finance Division were made parties to the petition. 

In the petition, the speaker claimed that the federal government had ignored the CPEC western route and it wanted to work on the route that passed through the Indus Highway touching Dera Ismail Khan only.

It said this decision would deprive the hitherto neglected, underdeveloped, marginalised and militancy-hit province of the benefits of the mega project.

The petition said that Chinese ambassador in Pakistan had also confirmed that the western route was not part of the CPEC.

The petition maintained that the CPEC project would be carried out at a cost of $45 billion and the Punjab chief minister had repeatedly announced that $36 billion would be spent on the development of the Punjab.

It said the federal government termed the Havelian to Thakot section as part of the western route of CPEC, but the provincial government considered it merely road and not part of the mega project with full benefits.

It was stated that the game-changer CPEC won’t benefit the underdeveloped areas in districts Kohat, Tank, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The petition argued that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its people were being denied their due rights, but the Orange Metro train project in Lahore, which in no way was linked to CPEC, was included in the mega project.

The petition prayed to the high court to issue directions to the respondents to honour their commitments on CPEC.

The court directed the respondents to provide funds for establishment of eight industrial parks under CPEC in Battagram, Mansehra, Captain Karnal Sher Khan Interchange on M-I Motorway, Malakand, Chakdarra Interchange, Swat, Bannu on the Indus Highway and Dera Ismail Khan.

It also sought directions for providing electricity, gas, telephone lines, fiber optics, railway lines, and all other relevant services to the industrial parks.