Fazl criticises change in economic corridor route

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Thursday they wouldn’t let the government change the route of Kashghar-Gwadar Economic Corridor.
Speaking at a function of the leaders of various political parties and civil society here, Maulana Fazl said that ignoring the backwards areas in the uplift projects would have dangerous repercussions for the country.
“The country cannot afford any new controversy,” he added. He said end to poverty was essential to defeat the menace of terrorism. “Development of the backwards areas is the only way to eradicate terrorism,” he added.
He said the federal government had constructed various roads in Gwadar, linking it with the rest of the country but no one expressed any reservation on the matter. “But we will not allow the government to divert the route of the economic corridor which would pass through extremely deprived areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan provinces,” he added.
He said he would personally visit China next month and take up the issue with the Chinese leadership. “I would try my best to persuade the Chinese leadership not to make any change in the proposed route of the economic corridor,” he added.
The JUI-F said any further delay in launching the project or change in the plan would spoil the unity of the country. “All the political leadership of the province, civil society, lawyers and journalist community should unite and put pressure on the federal government to not change the route,” he added.
He said citing security reasons for diverting the route was a wrong practice. He said there was lawlessness in the entire country. “Punjab ex-governor Salman Taseer was shot dead in Islamabad and son of former prime minister Yusaf Raza Gilani had been kidnapped from Multan in Punjab,” he added.
Regarding the 21st Amendment and establishment of military courts, Maulana said they have reservations over the text of the bill. He said laws should be based on justice and equality but this law was framed only to target seminaries. “We don’t accept this law and any action under the law against the seminaries,” he said.
The JUI-F chief said new reserves of gas had been discovered in Rahmanikhel area in Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat. He said soon gas would be provided from the newly found reserves to the local people.