PESHAWAR: Corridor Front, a group of various political parties and civil society organisations, has announced to launch a forceful protest movement against changes in the original plan of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, Dr Said Alam Mehsud, the convener of Corridor Front, made announcement about the protest movement and blamed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for not fulfilling his commitment regarding implementation of the original plan of CPEC.

ANP-Wali president Begum Naseem Wali Khan, Awami Workers Party president Fanoos Gujar, Fata Lawyers Forum president Rahim Shah, JUI-N provincial president Zubair Anjum, Farid Toofan, Nawabzada Mohsin Ali Khan, Advocate Shahab Khattak, Zahir Shah Safi and Eng Haider Zaman were also present on the occasion.

Dr Mehsud said that first public meeting against changes in CPEC would be held at Takht-i-Nusrati area of Karak district on July 24. The representatives of various political parties and civil society organisations would attend the protest, he added.

Dr Said Alam says first protest meeting will be held on July 24 in Karak

“After consultations, we have decided to launch a forceful protest movement against changes in the original plan of CPEC because Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif promised many times about construction of western route but he did not honour his words,” he said.

Dr Mehsud, who is also chairman of Pakhtunkhwa Olasi Tehreek, said that the protest public meetings would also be held in different cities of the province including Battagram, Allai, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Havelian and Haripur. The second public meeting of the series would be held in Tahkot on August 20, he added.

He alleged that prime minister deceived the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by making pledges and announcements regarding western route of CPEC. “We would also like to inform the China government that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has cheated the Chinese by changing the plan of CPEC as smaller provinces of Pakistan including Northern Areas have been deprived of its benefits,” he said.

Dr Mehsud feared that clashes would be started if original plan of CPEC was not implemented. The situation would worsen to such an extent that people would forget negative impacts of militancy in the region, he added.

The changes in the route, he said, would neither serve the purpose of cementing friendship with China nor help to create inter-provincial harmony. He said that there was already a sense of deprivation among the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Fata and Gilgit-Baltistatan.

The Corridor Front leader asked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to keep his promise, take stand to protect rights of the province and avoid supporting federal government in acquiring land for the corridor.

“We hold the chief minister in high esteem and consider him a part of our forum on this issue but he will have to prove that he will not cooperate in acquiring of land for CPEC in parts of the province otherwise the people will also start speaking against him,” said Dr Mehsud.

Speaking on the occasion, Begum Nasim said that she would fight for the rights of Pakhtuns and would support every programme that was in favour of Pakhtuns.

She said that making changes in the route of corridor would darken the future of new generations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It would be better to die instead of accepting changes in the route of the corridor, she said, adding that she would render every sacrifice for rights of the province.

Nawabzada Mohsin Ali said that the rally in Karak on July 24 would not be a political move as they had invited the leaders of all political parties as the issue was related to the rights of the neglected people.

Fanoos Gujar said that prime minister was playing a dangerous game by depriving the backward areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of the benefits of CPEC. There would be no need to cry in the parliament if leaders of all parties of the province gave just 10 minutes to the issue of CPEC, he added.

Farid Toofan also spoke on the occasion and claimed the movement would help to achieve the rights of the province.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2016