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Thursday March 28, 2024

CPEC brings entire leadership on the same page

IslamabadOn a great day when Pakistan was rejoicing nuclear detonations conducted 17 years ago joining the elite club, top political leaders reached a landmark consensus on the game changer China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which some politicians have been bringing to engulf in unnecessary controversy.Even Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar

By Tariq Butt
May 30, 2015
Islamabad
On a great day when Pakistan was rejoicing nuclear detonations conducted 17 years ago joining the elite club, top political leaders reached a landmark consensus on the game changer China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which some politicians have been bringing to engulf in unnecessary controversy.
Even Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali, who has been proudly mentioning the blocking and sabotaging of the Kalabagh Dam project as his accomplishment, was satisfied over the agreement in the All Parties’ Conference (APC) held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
He was quoted as having remarked that the premier showed large-heartedness and generosity while the entire political leadership demonstrated maturity. Anyway, it is a positive development that he was also content and pleased.
Although Pakistan has a politically split milieu, yet when it comes to major national issues and projects, politicians have mostly come out with accords. Had the dictatorial rules, particularly that of General Ziaul Haq, not deliberately made the Kalabagh Dam controversial to distract people’s attention from their illegitimacy and had let the politicians handled it, this grand project would have also earned consensus with some give and take, which is the hallmark of politics.
Undoubtedly, credit for the excellent agreement on the CPEC goes to the entire political leadership. Over and above, the prime minister played the key role in arriving at the unanimity. Pointlessly, dust has been kicked up for some weeks, which was heightened after the signing of $46 billion agreements by the Chinese president during his recent visit.
The consensus worked out on Thursday was expected even during the first APC on the CPEC held on May 13, but the sessions had to be shortened due to the Safoora, Karachi, massacre. It was later mindlessly bandied about that the government has changed the original route of the CPEC.
Not only the ANP, but Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was also expressing reservations about the CPEC for political purposes specifically in view of the May 30 local council elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). However, senior PTI leader Asad Umar tweeted after the APC that an agreement was reached on way forward for the CPEC in the conference. A joint parliamentary oversight committee is being formed and a working group, including representatives of all provincial governments, will be constituted to have provincial viewpoint in decision making.
Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) Secretary General Senator Mushahid Hussain tweeted that the CPEC can be game-changer through providing economic security. The decision was reached by consensus and consultations promoted national security.
Addressing the APC, he said it was time to move forward as the CPEC should unite the Federation through progress via projects. None made it controversial. Consensus is the key.
Mushahid Hussain said a working group, comprising political and provincial representatives, will be established for guidance, advice and monitoring the CPEC. He said that the mineral rich western route from Gwadar will be completed by December 2016, concurrently constructing both eastern and central routes as well.
The PML-Q leader said that the APC began with the briefing of Planning & Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who talked of removing misconceptions and stated that no new road was being constructed and up-gradation of existing roads would be done.
In the case of Kalabagh Dam, provincial assemblies of KP, Sindh and Balochistan had passed resolutions against the project. However, the Punjab legislature had approved a motion in its favour. The best time to construct the dam was the early periods of martial laws of Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf. But the two dictators remained more concerned with desperately struggling for political legitimacy rather than seriously working on such mega projects.
The opponents of the Kalabagh Dam kept projecting it as a Punjab project, which was misplaced and parochial. Like this dam, the CPEC will benefit the entire country and bring prosperity.
The prime minister and some of his cabinet colleagues have rightly expressed the view that enemies of Pakistan particularly India were working hard to disrupt the CPEC. However, Thursday’s consensus was a slap on the face of all these foes. The Foreign Office has also said Pakistan is well aware of India’s alleged plans to sabotage the CPEC project and its campaign against it.
It was being idiotically highlighted by some political leaders that the original route of the CPEC has been changed to benefit Punjab. In reality, there was no such thing.