Centre making CPEC project controversial: PPP leader

MARDAN: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) provincial president Senator Khanzada Khan on Sunday criticised the federal government after accusing it of making the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project controversial.

“Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal has confused the people about the project,” he told reporters here. He said the federal government did not implement the decisions taken at the All Parties Conference (APCs) in the past. He added that the federal government did not mention the Western route (traversing various underdeveloped areas of KP and Balochistan) in the meeting arranged with the Chinese leadership.

He also criticised the federal government for including the Orange Line Train project and other motorways in the CPEC project. He said the federal government is telling lies to the nation about the project.

Khanzada Khan added that the Centre is spending Rs30 billion on thermal and coal power projects and did not spend any penny on hydropower projects that can produce cheaper electricity.

He alleged that the federal government wanted to generate more electricity till the next elections and then play politics over it in the coming election campaign. He also said the government did not issue no-objection certificate (NOC) to foreign investors for investment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The PPP leader added that through these steps, the federal government caused sense of deprivation among the small provinces. The PPP leader said the federal government did not fully follow the National Action Plan against terrorism. Khanzada said the federal government is ready to hold negotiations with militants but cannot arrange negotiations with the employees of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).