GILGIT: Leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party, Gilgit-Baltistan, on Thursday criticised the members of Senate Special Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project for not listening to their grievances concerning the constitutional status of the region and reservations about construction of the project through the area.

They warned the committee members that the GB people would not let construction of the project through the region if GB’s constitutional status was not determined.

The local PPP leaders left the session halfway, complaining that the committee members were not ready to listen to their stance on different issues concerning GB.

The special committee on CPEC, led by its chairman Senator Taj Haider had arrived Gilgit-Baltistan on a three-day visit on Tuesday to consult the GB people about construction of the CPEC project.

Wants status of region determined before CPEC work starts

The 10-member Senate’s committee includes JI chief Sirajul Haq, Nauman Wazir Khattak of PTI, Taj Haider of PPP, Karim Ahmed Khawaja , ruling PML-N’s Chaudhry Tanvir Khan, Nehal Hashmi, PML-Q’s Kamil Ali Agha, MQM’s Mohammad Ateeq, PkMAP’s Mohammad Usman Kakar and ANP’s Mohammad Daud Khan.

The committee has been holding consultations with various political parties and other stakeholders in the region. The committee members held a session with the local PPP leaders in the Chief Secretary’s Conference Hall here in Gilgit on Thursday to get their input about the CPEC project. Taj Haider chaired the session.

PPP GB president Amjad Hussain, former GBLA speaker Wazir Baig, Sadia Danish and other PPP office-bearers were in attendance.

Mr Hussain told the committee that the GB people had been deprived of their political and constitutional rights from the last seven decades.

He said that the region had been ignored in distribution of $47 billion projects of CPEC.

He said that GB was rich in natural resources, while the ownership of land of the area had been shifted to the Federal Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Mr Hussain said that they were not opposing CPEC, but they wanted their rights. He said GB people had no representation in the parliament and they wanted to share their reservations with the parliamentarians.

“If you people would not listen to us then who we can ask for solution of our issues,” he said.

Nauman Wazir and other members said that the Senate committee would listen to all parties of the region on the CPEC project.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2016