KP has no objection to CPEC schemes, PHC told

By Akhtar Amin
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) was told on Thursday that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had no objection to the reply of the federal government through the Ministry of Planning and Development regarding development projects for the province in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Qazi Muhammad Anwar, counsel for provincial assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, informed a two-member bench of Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Syed Afsar Shah that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was satisfied with the reply of the Ministry of Planning and Development regarding projects for the province in the CPEC.
However, he requested the court to direct the ministry to submit minutes of the 7th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) as there were newspaper reports that some changes have been made in the projects for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He submitted that the provincial government would have reservations if changes are made in the projects after submission of the reply by Ministry of Planning and Development in the court.
However, Deputy Director Media CPEC and representative of the Ministry of Planning in the case, Shaukat Khattak, informed the bench that no changes have been made in the written comments of the ministry. He submitted that only the proposal of Chinese experts was discussed in the meeting to first develop the Hattar Industrial Estate as infrastructure had already been built there, but the JCC did not recommend that suggestion and stated that the Rashakai Economic Zone M-1 be kept on the first priority in the CPEC.
The bench directed the ministry to submit fresh reply and explain whether changes have been made in the projects after the JCC meeting held in Islamabad on November 21. The bench fixed December 5 for the next hearing in the case.
The court was hearing the writ petition filed by the provincial assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser seeking direction for the federal government to develop the western route of the CPEC and execute several other development projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.   
Asad Qaiser said that he was the custodian of the assembly, which represented the collective will of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and therefore, he was duty bound to follow unanimous resolutions passed by the assembly regarding CPEC.
In reply submitted in the high court, the Ministry of Planning and Development claimed that JCC in its 6th meeting had agreed on the development of hydro projects along the North Indus River.
“The JCC agreed in principle for inclusion of Mass Transit System (circular railway track between Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan and Swabi) as part of the CPEC component including Greater Peshawar Region Mass Transit and feasibility of the project is under preparation by the KP government,” the Planning Ministry claimed in the petition.
It said the JCC referred the priority list of location of special economic zone to the Joint Working Group on Industrial Cooperation. It included Rashakai Economic Zone on M-1 proposed by the KP government and feasibility of the zone has been shared with the Chinese side.It stated that the JCC had agreed in principle to include the KP government-proposed Chitral CPEC link road from Gilgit, Shandur and Chitral to Chakdara in CPEC.
“A project expansion and reconstruction of existing railway track main line-1 (ML-1) from Karachi to Peshawar is part of CPEC and currently under implementation. Dualisation of the Indus Highway remaining portion (128km, Kohat Sarai Gambila) and ground breaking is expected shortly, which is non-CPEC project and approved by ECNEC,” the reply stated.
It was also stated in the reply that ground-breaking of a non-CPEC project of upgradation/dualisation of Motorway link from Kohat via Jhand is expected shortly.It added that work had commenced on KKH Phase-II (Thakot-Havelian Section) in September 2016 and would be completed by March 2020.
It said that ECNEC also approved a new CPEC project of KKH Thakot-Raikot N35 remaining portion (136 km) in May 2017.It said that the railway from Khunjerab to Havelian under CPEC project has also been approved.