APROPOS Jan Mohammad’s letter on Kashghar-Gwadar route to China (Feb 13), I am afraid this important issue is being made controversial by various political forces.

They are dragging provincial prejudices and apprehensions that the incumbent government is trying to change the originally planned route via Mianwali, D.I. Khan, Zhob, Quetta, Kharan and Gwadar by making it pass through some areas of Punjab and Sindh, while omitting some areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

While there is no official confirmation yet if the route is actually being changed, political slogans are already being raised by some political parties.

If politicians and the incumbent government are not careful and let their imagination loose, a very important and useful project may suffer the fate of another strategic and crucial project like the Kalabagh dam, which had to be abandoned owing to exaggerated provincial apprehensions and political sloganeering.

It would be in the best interest of the country that provincial considerations and unfounded apprehensions are not allowed to sabotage such an important project.

While the original shortest and most feasible route should not be altered, important trade and commerce centres like Lahore, Multan and Karachi must be connected with this route by most feasible motorways.

As Karachi is already connected with Gwadar by the Makran coastal highway, Lahore and Multan should be connected with this route through Mianwali and D. I. Khan. It would be most unfair if Lahore, Multan and Karachi, which are the most important cities from a commercial point of view, are left out.

Z. Ahmed

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2015

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