CHARSADDA: The Awami National Party central president Asfandyar Wali Khan has reiterated that he will not attend any government briefing until his party’s reservations regarding the western route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) were redressed.
Addressing a party workers convention at Gulabad here on Friday, the ANP chief demanded that all announcements, including establishment of industrial estates in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, made during the all parties conference, should be honoured in letter and spirit.
ANP provincial general secretary Sardar Hussain Babak, former MPA Shakil Bashir Khan Umarzai and others were also present on the occasion.
It merits a mention here that former senator Afrasiab Khattak on behalf of ANP chief Asfandyar Wali has sent a letter to Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal refusing to participate in any briefing on the CPEC as requested by the federal government.
The ANP sent the letter in response to a message by the federal minister on behalf of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Asfandyar Wali offering a fresh briefing on CPEC to an ANP delegation and an invitation for a visit to the project area to check the on-ground progress.
Asfandyar Khan alleged that recent allocations, announcements and inaugurations under the project showed that the eastern route of the CPEC continued to be the federal government’s priority while western route had no worth in the eyes of the ruling PML-N.
Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2015
