QUETTA: The Senate’s Standing Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has expressed dismay over “Islamabad’s lack of interest” in starting work on the western route of corridor which, they said, “is evident from non-release of funds for this part of the project”.

The committee met here on Sunday with its chairman Daud Achakzai in the chair and Usman Kakar of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Rozi Khan Kakar of PPP and Saeedul Hassan Mandokhel of the PML-Q and senior officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA) and other departments concerned among the participants.

The committee expressed displeasure over the absence of the NHA chairman, saying the attitude he and other officials concerned had adopted towards the western route clashed with the interest of Balochistan people.

Meeting accuses Centre of promoting Punjab’s interests at the cost of Balochistan

Except paperwork, Rozi Khan said, nothing could be seen on the ground as far as construction of the western route was concerned. “Not a single penny has been released so far for acquisition of land (needed for the project).”

“Islamabad and bureaucracy of Punjab are serving the interests of Punjab only as funds have been released for the eastern route which is nearing completion,” he alleged.

Usman Kakar also said that the government was interested only in early completion of the eastern route just to promote the interest of Punjab while Balochistan was being ignored.

He lambasted Federal Minister for Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, saying he was `deceiving’ people of Balochistan as far as the western route was concerned.

Talking to journalists after the meeting, the committee’s chairman and members said that they were looking forward to a likely visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Quetta and urged him to ensure release of funds for the CPEC’s western route.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2016