PESHAWAR: The senior workers of the ruling PML-N fear that uncertainty created about the issue of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project will badly affect the vote bank of the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Sources say that PML-N is already facing rifts in different districts and even at provincial level and its workers are blaming their leadership for not paying due attention to reorganisation of the party.

Several senior activists of the party told this scribe that they were not invited to the events held at central level to have interaction with their central office-bearers and apprise them of the prevailing disturbed situation.

They said that PML-N leaders and federal ministers were following instructions of retired Capt Safdar, the son-in-law of Nawaz Sharif, who had focused attention on Hazara division by ignoring the Pakhtun belt. The popularity graph of the party was declining fast in Peshawar, Malakand, Dera Ismail Khan and other divisions but the leaders were least bothered to take notice of the matter.

PML-N provincial vice president Waqif Khan said that the senior workers were already trying to draw attention of the party leadership towards different issues when the issue of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor emerged.

Workers say leadership has only focused on Hazara division

“We are unable to comment on the issue because our leadership has so far not issued any instruction to us in this regard,” he said and added that central leaders of the party were supposed to issue policy statements so that workers could follow them.

However, Mr Khan said, his party workers would never remain silent if federal government exploited the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “We will raise voice against any kind of injustice with Pakhtuns and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he vowed and asked the government to give due rights to the province.

About the vote bank of PML-N and CPEC’s impact on public opinion, Mr Khan said that his party got about 0.9 million votes in the last general elections which was second to PTI but the leadership failed to maintain it due to wrong policies.

PML-N district president Abdul Sattar Khalil also expressed similar views and asked the federal government to avoid depriving Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of its due rights as its people heavily suffered due to terrorism, extremism and faulty policies of the successive governments.

“No doubt PML-N is our party. We have to maintain discipline but in democracy everyone has the right to speak and write on core issues,” Mr Khalil said and added that everyone should work sincerely in the best interests of motherland irrespective of political affiliations.

PML-N provincial general secretary Rahmat Salam Khattak said that those crying for western route did not know that the demand was against the interests of Pakhtuns because it would touch only Dera Ismail Khan while the rest of the province would remain deprived of its benefits.

“I have suggested in a letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that the corridor should touch Lakki Marwat, Tank, Bannu and other southern districts to benefit tribal regions and cover maximum of areas of the province,” he said.

Mr Khattak said that the opposition parties and provincial government were following some vested interests on the issue of CPEC but it was no service to the province.

“We have tried to persuade Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman and leaders of other political parties to work for construction of the corridor via southern districts but so far could not succeed in this regard,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2016